The Invite (2026) A24/Comedy RT: 107 minutes Rated R (sexual material, language throughout, drug use) Director: Olivia Wilde Screenplay: Will McCormack and Rashida Jones Music: Devonte Hynes Cinematography: Adam Newport-Berra Release date: June 26, 2026 (US, limited)/July 10, 2026 (US, wide) Cast: Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Penelope Cruz, Edward Norton.
Rating: ***
Welcome to the most uncomfortable dinner party you’re ever likely to bear witness to. Would you like a glass of wine? Oh, there isn’t any. Somebody forgot to buy it.
In a season typically defined by head-splitting, eye-straining blockbuster wannabes, an adult drama like The Invite comes as a shock to the system. It feels like an oasis in a desert of stupidity. It commits the cardinal sin of summer movies. It chooses to focus on its characters rather than budget-draining FX. To many, that will be a deal breaker. Others might appreciate it.
If you’ve seen the trailer for The Invite and I’m sure you have, you know a crucial plot point is being held back. Something is being hinted at. You probably already know what it is. Rather, you think you know what it is. Here’s what I’m gonna do. I’m going to give it to you now just to tell you if you’re right or wrong. If you don’t want to know, STOP READING THIS REVIEW RIGHT NOW! You know I don’t like dropping spoilers, but I can’t review The Invite without talking about it. Okay, here it comes. Yes, it’s about partner swapping. One couple proposes it to the other. It’s not met with disgust by the other couple. And there you have it!
One of the most interesting things about The Invite is its refusal to moralize or judge its characters. Director Olivia Wilde (Booksmart) simply lays it all down (characters and situation) and lets it play out while we look on. She leaves any judgment to the viewer.
Joe (Rogen, The Studio) is an extremely unhappy man. A failed musician, he now teaches music to teens at a conservatory. He has a decidedly hands-off approach to his job. He’s unhappily married to Angela (Wilde), a stay-at-home mother who fills the void in her life by focusing on home décor. They’re constantly arguing. It starts the minute he walks through the door and doesn’t stop.
On this particular evening, they’re fighting over Angela inviting the upstairs neighbors to dinner. Joe says he knows nothing about it. She claims she told him and berates him for ignoring her text about bringing home a bottle of wine. Joe doesn’t like these people because they make a lot of noise. He can hear them loudly having sex almost every night. He plans to confront them about it. Angela tells him to keep quiet.
The other couple, sex therapist Pina (Cruz, Parallel Mothers) and retired firefighter Hawk (Norton, Primal Fear), sense the tension between Joe and Angela immediately. It makes for an awkward start to the evening. It doesn’t get much better from there what with Pina’s dietary restrictions and Joe openly antagonizing their guests. Slowly, they start to warm up to one another.
The subject of sex comes up and that’s when the guests reveal what’s really going on at their place. They’re into the group sex thing. Naturally, Joe and Angela are shocked. Then Pina invites them to take part in a session which would entail switching partners. Should they accept? Maybe it’ll fix their fractured marriage.
I have mixed feelings about The Invite. It’s an interesting film; I’m not sure if I like it though. The characters aren’t all that likable. Joe and Angela are pretty insufferable. Pina and Hawk overstep frequently. There’s a lot of yelling. The score by Devonte Hynes comes in hard and heavy, especially during the more intense scenes. That’s actually one of the movie’s faults. Wilde doesn’t trust the dialogue to speak for itself so she lets the string-heavy score do the talking, to let us know that what we’re witnessing is supposed to be intense. It certainly increases one’s feeling of discomfort, but a more seasoned director would avoid such an obvious move.
I may not have liked the characters, but I love how they’re written. Rashida Jones and Will McCormack (Celeste and Jesse Forever) take the time to develop their characters. They’re not just bodies occupying space; they’re fully formed people who react in ways that feel real. It helps that Wilde cast talented actors in the roles. Rogen is as adept with drama as he is comedy. His Joe seethes with resentment that can be felt through the screen. This isn’t the life he imagined for himself. He can’t even bring himself to listen to his band’s one hit song. In addition, he leans right into every verbal blow thrown by Wilde, herself angry over not feeling fulfilled. She wants more from life than picking out rugs. She blames Joe for her unhappiness.
Cruz is an amazing actress in addition to being incredibly gorgeous. She’s fantastic as Pina, a woman with no inhibitions, sexually or otherwise. She’s not afraid to ask the tough questions. Pina’s no-BS attitude perfectly contrasts with the strained politeness of her hosts. Norton brings a calm demeanor to Hawk, a man who rejects bourgeois morality for a life of unfiltered truth and pleasure. Their bohemian lifestyle flies in the face of conventionality; Joe and Angela are both curious and jealous. The dynamics between the four characters are fascinating from a psychological standpoint.
So what’s my take on The Invite? It’s flawed for sure. It’s not always easy to watch, especially in the first half. To her credit, Wilde self-corrects and reigns in the score. I will say that it’s never boring. It’s consistently interesting. I’m kind of surprised it’s playing at multiplexes. It’s really more of an arthouse film. I sincerely hope its intended audience finds it.
