Remakes of acclaimed European films can often feel like unnecessary exercises, often losing the nuance that made their predecessors so memorable. Thankfully, The Invite is able to avoid that familiar pitfall by delivering a sharply observed comedy-drama that earns its own identity rather than just repeating someone else’s homework.
Adapted from the Spanish hit The People Upstairs, Olivia Wilde’s latest directorial effort unfolds almost entirely within the confines of a stylish apartment over the course of one increasingly eventful evening. What begins as an awkward dinner between neighbours gradually evolves into a witty, emotionally revealing examination of marriage, intimacy and the stories we tell ourselves about happiness.
Seth Rogen and Wilde play Joe and Angela, a couple whose comfortable domestic life has quietly slipped into routine. Joe, once a musician with bigger ambitions, now teaches at a conservatory who’s all but given up on his own ambitions, while Angela channels her restlessness into keeping up appearances. Their relationship is already showing signs of strain before they welcome their glamorous upstairs neighbours, Hawk and Piña, played by Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz.
From there, The Invite thrives on conversation rather than spectacle. The script from Will McCormack and Rashida Jones is incredibly observant, balancing laugh-out-loud humour with moments of surprising vulnerability. As the evening unfolds, seemingly casual exchanges become increasingly revealing, revealing the carefully curated versions each character presents to the world.
Rogen continues to demonstrate that his strengths extend well beyond broad comedy, delivering a performance rich in comic timing while grounding Joe’s frustrations in something recognisably human. Norton is magnetic as the effortlessly confident Hawk, while Cruz injects warmth and unpredictability into every scene she inhabits. Wilde, meanwhile, impresses both in front of and behind the camera, though her instincts as director are sharper than her instincts as screen presence; there are moments where Angela’s anxieties feel more superficial than lived-in.
Despite taking place almost entirely in one location with just four principal characters, the film rarely feels confined. The intimacy mostly works in its favour, creating an atmosphere where every awkward silence, pointed glance and offhand remark carries weight — though a couple of scenes in the back half do sag under the weight of their own talkiness, and the ending resolves things a little more neatly than the preceding chaos has earned.
Still, there’s an effortless quality to the humour that keeps the film buoyant even as it explores more uncomfortable emotional territory.
The Invite is funny, smart, and emotionally sharp. It doesn’t nail every moment, but it comes close enough that the flaws barely show while you’re watching. Elevated by four strong performances and a script that finds real, fresh observations about modern relationships, this is a remake that more than justifies its existence, even if it plays things a touch safer than its premise promises.
