Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? drank too much. Husbands and Wives couldn’t put the shaky cam down. Carnage indulged in contrivance.
The Invite falters via cello.
Seriously, the first half is so immaculate in direction, editing, and performance nuance that I couldn’t help but wonder if it would have worked better without the distractingly strung score. This is minimalist comedy fit for a stage with four actors brilliantly talking through dysfunction, imperfection, and vulnerability. Director Olivia Wilde should have just let her characters do the talking without a film score profiling every emotional cue. (This is coming from a high school music teacher who sometimes thinks less is more.)
On the flip side, there are so many touching moments—both sentimental and queasy—that blend and clash between four very different personalities: self-effacing has-been (Seth Rogen), tightly wound, domesticated hippy (Olivia Wilde), pacifist bohemian (Edward Norton), and psychotherapist with earth energy (Penélope Cruz). The anxious banter is seamlessly welcomed by each Gen-X character’s ability to not judge but coexist in a millennial design (impulsive spending and entitlement stereotypes abound).
It’s just a shame that all this entertaining dialogic mismatch evolves into a [spoiler alert] scenario. (If you couldn’t already tell it was coming from the trailer, the big reveal is pretty easy to predict.)
It is here when the movie becomes a movie, but I suppose this apex decision is exactly what the Rogen/Wilde couple needed. I just wish it wasn’t such a tidy dénouement. Even the “Dinner Party” episode in The Office ended with the cops at the door.
What did you think?
Best,
RB
Reely Bernie 
Another fantastic review. “The Invite” is another film from this year that I loved and is definitely among my favourite movies of the year. I honestly don’t remember the last time that a movie made me laugh so much. It resonated on a personal level with me as well that I wasn’t expecting from a comedy. I feel you did a great job expressing your thoughts on the film in an insightful review. While it’s not a flawless film, I felt it was a beautiful depiction of a broken marriage. Olivia Wilde is a talented female filmmaker and I can’t wait to see what she does next.
Here are my personal thoughts on the movie:
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for your thoughts, Huilahi! I also appreciated your share about your aunt in your review. You have an empathetic eye for the dysfunctional (or unhealthy) marriage and the chaos that comes with it. This one reminded me of a Woody Allen-setting frenzy with both laughs and rough edges. The acting was so engaging that I wish the score wasn’t as abrasive. It wasn’t necessary. However, the overall 4-person banter was constantly unpredictable (and fun).
LikeLiked by 1 person