‘The Invitation’ review: Olivia Wilde’s sex comedy is insanely good

Whatever you think of Olivia Wilde as a filmmaker, it’s impossible to deny that she has a great eye for comedy. In 2019, the American actor who had proven himself as a hot star delighted viewers and critics with his directorial debut. Booksmart. Universally acclaimed, the teen comedy paired Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever as an intellectually brilliant but socially awkward couple, and the results were heartwarming and hilarious.

However, following Wilde, he fumbled. Don’t worry dearpsychological thriller starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles, not only suffered from irfeelings of tension set in and negative pressure before it even started showing, but it was criticized by critics for its absurd plot and low-paid man.

Thankfully, Wilde is back with another comedy that combines sexual obsession with explosive acting. Pulling double duty as director and star, Wilde appears opposite Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton in. An invitation. The quartet plays two couples whose relationship takes a turn for the worse during one dinner party.

Together, they create a completely hilarious sex comedy, full of ribbing and swagger. But Wilde is the film’s weakest link.

An invitation it’s funny.

Based on Cesc Gay’s critically acclaimed 2020 comedy Sensitivity, Invitation mostly confined to a large newly renovated San Francisco apartment. There lives a quarrelsome married couple, Angela (Wilde) and Joe (Rogen), and their young daughter, who will be talked about but never seen as she attends a slumber party on this important night.

Screenwriting team Will McCormack and Rashida Jones (Celeste and Jesse Phakade) soon creates tension in the home in the form of internecine conflicts that begin casually, but grow increasingly hostile as the years go by. So, when Joe walks in after an uninspired day as a music teacher for a bored band, he’s met not with a greeting but with Angela’s request that he take off his shoes and put away his folding bike before he takes a breather.

An aspiring artist who has put all her creative energy into this renovation, Angela wishes to please the couple’s beautiful neighbors, Pina (Penélope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton), who invite them to dinner. After months of seeing them in the elevator or hearing them on the floor, Angela is busy approaching this curious couple. Joe, on the other hand, mostly wants to tell them to keep their late-night sex quiet – in part because hearing such loud love only makes the quiet innocence of their bedroom stand out even more.

But as suggested in An invitationFirst play, Pina and Hawk bring more than a bottle of wine to this dinner party. With a seductive confidence boost, the flirting couple seems on the verge of falling into PDA or a dirty proposal. The intensity of An invitationJoe’s second act is how Joe and Angela will handle the offer, one seemingly oblivious to their arrival and the other certain to be crushed by the consequences.

You probably won’t predict exactly how this potential excitement plays out. But you will help me An invitationa sexually stimulating but mindless climax.

Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton are incredibly funny An invitation.

To Wilde’s credit, he initially puts his players in their comfort zones. Rogen plays an insecure stoner whose only defense is comedy. Norton is his foil, a frustratingly self-confident and educated man running wild and in touch with his emotions. As Pina, Cruz exudes an easygoing sensibility that is delightfully sweet.

However, An invitation it pushes past these familiar areas, giving the characters a chance to stretch beyond comedy. Rogen’s stoner turns out to be a funny sight. Norton’s non-toxic masculinity blossoms into a strange counterpoint to Hawk’s deep love of floor rugs. And Cruz’s bubbly spirit continues whether he’s talking about his flan recipe or his love of catching her. But the way he repeatedly says “my Boons” with pure indifference is funny on its own.

Whether they are fighting or playing, there is a lot of noise An invitationreminiscent of the tension of Roman Polanski disaster, which included two couples in one room, eliminating the biggest problems. As a director, Wilde thoughtfully orchestrates the sexual tension that unfolds throughout an apartment filled with nooks and crannies ripe for steamy exchanges and innuendo. Cinematographer Adam Newport-Berra’s favored static camera creates an unflinching impression of this intimate night. Wide shots early on give us a sense of distance from the lovers, but move in closer as the topics heat up.

This creates a claustrophobic atmosphere that exacerbates the social aspects of each interaction. Because, of course, if tonight gets weird, Joe and Angela will still see Pina and Hawk in the elevator, in the lobby, and from their windows. So, the cat-and-mouse feeling comes in, where it’s not enough to say what’s screaming in their hearts, but to do so in a way that feels like it’s winning. Because if they don’t, they will always be losers in this newly renovated home.

Working with editors Anthony Boys and Yorgos Mavroopsaridis, Wilde creates tension An invitation that used to not exist Don’t worry, Honey. And because of his reputation, he is committed to catching Angela’s need to electrify to be seen in every comment about the interior design, each appetizer placement, and any look at Joe, Pina, or Hawk. But he can’t keep up with his character. Where Rogen, Cruz, and Norton seem to blossom over the course of the film, Wilde seems to be struggling to bring Angela out of the archetypal self-absorbed nag. Some of the performances here feel lived-in, perhaps because the characters in it start out in familiar roles. But Wilde, whose name may be of incomparable beauty (Tron: Legacy; Don’t worry, Honey) begins in a place of panic, and as Angela begins to relax, the difficulty continues.

It is easy to understand why he would like to be a part of this team as he directs the film. But when his colleagues are working at such a high level to develop sexual tension, comedic timing, and pathos, Wilde’s performance feels diminished in comparison. Which is not to say that his isn’t great acting – it’s just not good.

Despite this inconvenience, I was enchanted An invitation. McCormack and Jones’ screenplay is brilliantly written, bringing emotional depth to all four couples, while keeping a strong focus on the relative frustrations of long-term relationships. Wilde’s direction is deceptively simple in its beauty, favoring cinematography that allows us to explore without the discomfort of voyeurism.. This keeps the tone light even when the speech turns dirty. And with a collection that’s completely game to welcome the absurd, the fascinating, and the rebellious, An invitation it’s brutally exciting.

An invitation opens in theaters July 3.