When I posted my glowing first reaction to The Invite on Bluesky, my friend Randy from New Orleans replied that he was going to see the film the next night on a first date. That sparked a long conversation between my wife and myself. Sure, Olivia Wilde’s new comedy is a good movie, possibly even a great movie. We had a blast, but we had our first date a long time ago. Is The Invite good first date material for 2026?
It depends. It’s certainly not the worst choice for a first date movie. That distinction goes to my college Latin professor who, while he was a classical studies graduate student, took a first date to a Roman epic called Caligula, thinking he knew all there was to know about early Imperial Roman history, and that novelist-turned-screenwriter Gore Vidal and a cast like Malcom McDowell, John Gielgud, Helen Mirren, and Peter O’Toole would lend a touch of prestige to the picture. What he didn’t know was that the film was produced by Penthouse magazine publisher Bob Guccione, who added extensive hardcore pornography sequences without the knowledge or consent of director Tinto Brass. Needless to say, my professor didn’t get a second date.
I think you and your date could potentially learn a lot about your mutual compatibility, or at least your relative tolerance for and/or enjoyment of raunchy sex jokes, by observing each other’s reactions to director Olivia Wilde’s comedy. It’s based on a 2020 Spanish play and film The People Upstairs by writer/director Cesc Gay, so it’s got some of those Euro sex farce vibes, like early Pedro Almodóvar. It’s also an example of what we film critics call a comedy of remarriage, where a couple’s relationship is put into crisis for laughs, hopefully resulting in a renewed commitment.
The relationship in question is between Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Wilde). We meet Joe first, at his job as the worst high school band teacher ever. We soon learn he is a hipster gone to seed. His indie rock band had a single hit 20 years ago (which, not coincidentally, was about Angela), but he never thought to prepare for life post minor pop stardom, so now he’s washed up and bitter about it. But what does he really have to be bitter about? He’s got a great apartment in San Francisco, a beautiful wife, and a lovely tween daughter named Maggie. The apartment was inherited from his well-off parents, so that doesn’t make him feel like less of a failure. As for Angela, she’s a stay-at-home mom with a seething core of anxiety that no amount of Xanax can quiet.
When Joe gets home after yet another frustrating bike commute, he discovers that Angela has sent Maggie to a friend’s for a sleepover, and she’s got an elaborate dinner prepared, including a soufflé. Did he get the wine? No, he did not. Well, she texted him about it, and now they’re not going to have anything to drink when the neighbors arrive. This is the first Joe’s heard about dinner with the upstairs neighbors, Hawk (Edward Norton) and Pína (Penélope Cruz) who, let’s face it, are kinda weird. Plus, their late-night sex noises have been waking up the whole building. No, Angela says, they talked about it last night, and if he would ever listen to her, he would know about the dinner. Well, Joe couldn’t be expected to pick up a bunch of wine while he’s on his bike, could he? It’s literally a cargo bike, Joe. And please don’t confront them about the sex noises. We’re trying to make friends here.
You get the feeling that most of Joe and Angela’s conversations have been like this for a while now. But when Hawk and Pína arrive, it’s a different vibe. Instead of weird and standoffish, they’re relaxed and welcoming. He’s a widowed, retired firefighter; she’s a recently divorced sexologist. They found each other just last year, and the relationship has been very healing for both of them. And hey, about those sex noises …
Wilde’s direction is immaculate. Practically the entire film takes place in Joe’s apartment, which is big for an apartment in one of the most expensive real estate markets in the world, but not huge by any stretch. Wilde shoots her actors in their limited space with relentless creativity, including a rarely seen Double Reverse Citizen Kane Shot. The pacing ranges from fast to frantic, despite the lack of anything resembling an action scene. But where Wilde really excels is working with actors. Norton, Cruz, and Rogen have never been better. Norton effortlessly sells Hawk’s eccentricities, and watching Cruz finally sit down to try to work out why Joe and Angela are so screwed up, I wished she could be my therapist. Rogen serves up rapid-fire sarcasm, but you can see Joe fighting to keep his pain below the surface. As for Wilde, she channels the great Lucille Ball, all wide eyes and fidgety limbs. Crucially, she could make herself the star, but when she’s not behind the camera, she’s always supporting the ensemble.
Ultimately, The Invite is all about what makes a good relationship, and what goes wrong in a bad relationship. It’s a great date movie, and if you’re brave enough, it can be a great first date movie. If your date doesn’t like it, maybe they’re not the one for you.
The Invite
Now playing
Multiple locations
