The Invite — Sundance Review
Source: Annapurna Pictures
Olivia Wilde’s The Invite is the type of film Sundance seems designed to champion: an intimate, character-driven dramedy that feels small in scale but big in emotional honesty, a film that will likely be one of this year’s hidden gems. This remake of Cesc Gay's The People Upstairs leans less on punchlines and more on meaningful conversations about sex and marriage. With a sharp, perceptive script from Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, The Invite is the type of thought-provoking, uncomfortably relatable film that holds a mirror up to the audience, gently pushing viewers to reflect on their own relationships.
Wilde not only directs but steps into the role of Angela, whose marriage to Joe (Seth Rogen), feels as though it's fraying at the seams. One night, Joe comes home from his job as a music teacher only to discover that Angela has invited their upstairs neighbors over for dinner that same evening. Tensions arise and arguments ensue, with the couple constantly talking over each other without actually listening to one another.
Prior to their arrival, all we know about Hawk (Edward Norton) and Pina (Penélope Cruz) is that their late-night, floor-shaking lovemaking has become a point of contention for Joe and Angela. Joe wants to confront them about the frequent disturbances, but Angela desperately wants to win them over.
The film’s opening stretch is its weakest. Angela and Joe’s nonstop quarreling makes them difficult to warm up to, even if that’s completely intentional. However, once Pina and Hawk enter the picture, the dynamic shifts. The energy sharpens, the conversations deepen, and the film locks into a richer, more compelling rhythm. The remainder of the story stays confined to Angela and Joe’s San Francisco apartment, turning the film into a four-hander chamber piece that lives or dies by its dialogue. Fortunately, Jones and McCormack’s screenplay delivers, giving the cast plenty to work with.
Rogen and Wilde are convincing as a married couple stuck in a rut, a loop of routine and trivial resentment. But it’s their chemistry with Cruz and Norton that brings the spark, and the simmering tension among the group gradually builds and drives the film forward. The Invite is proof that movies don’t need explicit sex scenes to be sexy. Smart writing and magnetic performances are enough to generate a subtle yet steamy sexual tension that permeates the film.
Compared with Wilde’s earlier work, The Invite is much more laid back and understated. It isn’t as irreverent as Booksmart or as stylized as Don’t Worry Darling, but it feels like a step in the right direction. Wilde exhibits a strong sense of wisdom and maturity behind the camera, and this film offers a raw, thoughtful exploration of the repressed desires and emotions that can build up over time in long-term relationships. The Invite feels so lived in and authentic, it will act as a wake-up call for anyone wondering why their marriage or relationship no longer has the same spark that it used to.
On the surface, The Invite may seem like a romantic comedy, but ultimately the laughs are too scattered and sparse to define it. Nonetheless, it will prove to be a rewarding and valuable experience for viewers who are willing to walk in with an open mind. The film is engaging, endearing, and quietly seductive, but also surprisingly cathartic and insightful. What makes The Invite truly special is that Wilde is unafraid to sit in the uncomfortable truths that most couples refuse to face. Watching it feels like wandering into a movie only to discover that you accidentally stepped into the couples therapy session you never knew you needed.
The Invite premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2026.
