Poster from Internet Movie Database
I have always been a fan of dark comedies. When I find one that I haven't seen previously that has very good critics rating I have to check it out. Most of the time you find some real gems that keep you on the edge of your seat or laughing nonstop. Of course, every now and again, you find an absolute disappointment. Such is life...
Last night while perusing HBO Max, I found a movie I had never heard of with an all start cast. It was released in July and had only arrived to streaming a couple days ago. The ratings from critics and audiences were all very high. So I decided to give it a shot. The film was: The Invite.
The film focuses on the relationship of Joe (Seth Rogen) and his wife Angela (Olivia Wilde, who also directs.) From the opening moments it's obvious that the couple have a very rocky relationship with almost nonstop bickering. Joe appears to be a deeply unhappy man, and to be frank, rather unlikable as the film begins. When Joe arrives home from work he is informed that Angela has invited down their upstairs neighbors for dinner. Joe doesn't take the news well and tries to get her to reschedule. He doesn't much care for these particular neighbors because they tend to have very loud sex which deeply bothers him.
He intends to confront the couple about the issue, but Angela tells him absolutely not. He relents. When the neighbors arrive the wife Pina (Penélope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton) arrive they appear to be a very happy couple. They all get along well, and eventually Pina and Hawk apologize for all the noise. It turns out the couple is into sex parties with other couples that can get rather noisy. Kind of twist you really don't see coming.
The couples enjoying each others company
Pina and Hawk later invite Joe and Angela to participate in a sex orgy, which essentially turns out to be a partner swap. They agree and all is going well until Joe injures his back dancing with Pina, and ruins the fun. Not only does he cause a scene but insults the neighbors. Everything then starts to fall apart and the absolute cracks in his relationship with Angela go on full display. From here everything turns into a disaster, even for Pina and Hawk. I won't spoil anymore because it will ruin your fun as a a viewer.
The movie overall is well done and written. The performances from the actors are excellent, however, while funny it is very heavily a relationship movie. More of a drama that dark comedy which was a bit of a disappointment to me personally. Would I watch it again, no. But it wasn't a bad movie, and might be more enjoyable with your significant other. It is not kid friendly, so the rated R label is well deserved.
Overall I would give the movie a 70/100 rating. Part of that might have come from my higher expectations for the film. I'm sure other people will love it!
The Players:
Olivia Wilde, also director
Penélope Cruz
Edward Norton
Seth Rogen
That will wrap up my review for The Invite. Thanks for taking the time to check it out, and thank you for all of your support. Please feel free to leave any comments or questions below, and have a great week everyone!
References
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14173636/?ref_=mv_close
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Invite
Disclaimer
Screenshots from The Movie Database
Rating: 70/100
