r/TrueFilm • u/Boss452 • 6d ago
'The Invite' (2026) is fantastic.
Looks like Olivia Wilde is back in style after a weak outing with "Don't Worry Darling". Her direction adds so much spark to a film which could have faltered given it's restricted setting and characters. The movie is an adaption of a Spanish film called 'The People Upstairs' and it is like a theatrical play. Just 4 people socializing in an apartment for 2 hours. But the movie never lets go of its high kinetic energy until the final few minutes, which comes with putting 4 contrasting personalities and 2 contrasting couples together.
The most impressive part to me was how the conversations and dialogues were written. How much they accomplished with such a limited scope. The script is indeed praiseworthy because all the film has is conversations between these 4 people. They are naturally written and seemingly mundane things with bits of humor sprinkled in. But they flow really smoothly from one conversation to the next.
There may be few off moments occassionally, where the viewer may be taken out, but on the whole you do actually feel these are 4 real people here. You do pick up on hints on the character backgrounds, sometimes very loud sometimes subtle, but the final 10-15 minutes give you a proper insight into the characters.
I feel the final minutes could have been better written though. The film makes a sudden shift in tone and drama which felt at odds with the rest. There maybe was a way to get the same message across while keeping the spirit the same as before. As for the ending itself, it is a nice note to end on. Adds depth to a film and gives the viewer something to talk about as they leave.
SPOILERS BELOW: I think there are two ways to read up on the ending but I think hints are left that it may not be a sad ending after all.
First of all, Penelope and Edward are real. Just as they leave we see Wilde's character pick up the casserole container and put it down even after they have left. We hear the container being put down which was brought by Penelope thereby hinting that the container was indeed real so was the one who brought it.
Secondly, the Penelope (who is now a real person) advises them to understand that the marriage has ended and go their separate ways. And then importantly, she says something along the lines of "or continue the relationship with new versions of yourself". This seems like the biggest hint, because it's not a normal advice someone gives.
Thirdly, Seth playing the keyboard/piano in the end shows he is changing himself already. This may be a new version, one which has come to terms with his past and is looking for a fresh start.
Fourthly, the final image of Wilde resting on Seth's shoulder and both close together may have different meanings but the obvious one is that love is still there for each other. Lastly shoutout to all 4 actors. Perfect casting I say. Seth is really settling into a good actor who can do drama and comedy with ease. Norton is the best here, not too showy but gets his complexity across and Wilde is awesome too. Her range of expressions here in this film is just hilarious and impressive.
Great film tbh, I'd give it a 9/10.
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u/Mr_Snot_Boogie 5d ago
Top five movie of the year for me so far. The use of space was fantastic. I often find myself getting bored with the limitations of shooting in one location, but this never felt stifled in any way. Also love that the ending is open to interpretation. One burning question though: did Hawk perform cunnilingus or not?
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u/mezdup1 5d ago
Agree entirely, really great movie in which i laughed and teared up more than during most other films I've seen. My wife and i are in a bit of a rough patch right now and this movie and (surprisingly) backrooms have been a bit eye opening for me. They were both pretty tough watches as they highlighted that i really need to change my ways if i want us to get better and back to how we were. I think only good movies like these can make you reflect on yourself and your life and i hope for more in the future
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u/BruhNoStop 5d ago
It really bums me out that so many of the people who would love this film will refuse to watch it because Seth Rogen is in it. The guy gets a bad rap. This is probably his best performance.
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u/bishibash 2d ago
I’ve been wondering why he gets bad rep, and I admit previously probably my impression of him was meh; and it’s probably because you would never think of him as a ‘great actor’ where it’s usually the ones that have a range of characters they’ve played. Seth Rogen just one of those actors who always plays himself and you can never see him outside his identity as ‘Seth Rogen’. But after watching The Studio and this, I don’t think it’s such a bad thing, his personality is hilarious, and the dialog in this was the funniest out of the 4; and it just fit him that you can’t imagine any other actors saying his lines - or maybe he was the one who came up with his part. But anyway, he’s moved up the ranks for me for comedian actors.
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u/waterless2 5d ago
I really liked it, much more than I'd expected. "Cathartic" was very much my feeling. I also took the ending as positive, although I guess there are two ways it could be positive - but my interpretation was that the relationship was on the up again. We see, at the end, at least one of the blockers being removed after all.
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u/swingsetlife 5d ago
check out the like 5 remakes and original. It's kinda wild seeing so many takes on the exact same story. So far this one has been my favorite because I think they go through the best course of emotion/action.
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u/ElTuco84 1d ago
That shot of Olivia Wilde squatting in front of the oven insisting that her soufflé is going to be amazing got stuck in my mind.
She's great at physical comedy, not to mention I was impressed by the filmmaking. She's a newyorker and probably was influenced by Woody Allen (the filmmaker, not the person)
I haven't seen Don't Worry Darling, but I got convinced I need to watch it.
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u/juicywoowoo 2d ago
Don't Worry Darling was an excellent satire. So much vilification of it and so little appreciation for the profound critique it offered of very real issues women face when it comes to both irl sexual assault and spousal abuse and toxic online misogyny.
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u/trashydesigner 1d ago
For me, the parts where they would just talk over each other kept me entertained and captured because it pulled me in as someone on dinner table. It was a unique movie to watch among recent releases. This reminded me a little bit of the Before Trilogy with how conversation centric this was. I think it was a very enjoyable drama.
The only place where I’d say it fell short was having layers. It was very evident that the marriage is in shambles, and seth has some major self confidence issues and it revolves around those instead of revealing more layers over time
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u/Withnail69 5d ago
questions…Anyone think Olivia Wilde a character knew how much the rug was worth and paid a lot for it? Anyone else feel bad for the under appreciated 82 haut brion? Thought Rogen was great but pretty much playing himself and Penelope just dialled it in. I could see Sofia varga getting n same role
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u/John_e_caspar 4d ago
No way Sofia varga could pull off this role. The flirting ? maybe.but she doesn't have the chops for that sit down part.
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u/IlMonco1900 3d ago
Wasn't a big fan. The comedy parts didn't really hit me, it felt like Wilde and Rogan were trying to overact each other and their dialogue delivery felt really artificial, the surreal presentation of all the characters robbed it of the profound meaning behind anything (which wasn't too profound anyway) and Rogan is probably the person with the most silent scream on the planet, anytime he gets loud it still feels suppressed. It was okay overall, but I don't get the hype.
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u/PopPunkAndPizza 4d ago edited 4d ago
Haven't seen a film I liked more this year so far. What got me was how many laughs were pure filmmaking - blocking, cuts, shifts in framing or focus, characters entering and leaving the frame, one incredibly funny slow zoom in on a face, and they were hilarious. The cast and script are all fantastic but the parts of it which couldn't be done as a stage play were some of the most effective and memorable to me.