Joe is an unsuccessful musician married to the mother of his child, and their relationship is in shambles. In an attempt to expand their social life, Angela invites their upstairs neighbors to come share a meal, but the bitter and cynical Joe would rather be doing anything else, and isn’t shy about speaking his mind. Their neighbors, a sex therapist and a retired firefighter, arrive for dinner, but it isn’t long before everything goes horribly wrong and the evening takes on some interesting twists, causing Angela and Joe to rethink their entire situation.
Olivia Wilde has been making a name for herself in recent years, both as an actress and a director. Her 2019 R-rated teen comedy directorial debut, BOOKSMART, has become a personal favorite of mine, and this critic and film enthusiast was certainly eager to see where she’d be going next. THE INVITE, a remake of a Spanish film THE PEOPLE UPSTAIRS, is Wilde’s latest project. Witty, sharp, relatable, and outright hilarious, it’s one of the true unexpected surprises of 2026. You won’t get through this one without laughing… but you won’t get through it without some introspective thinking of your own life either. That’s quite the cinematic accomplishment.
Similar to Alfred Hitchcock’s ROPE, the entirety of THE INVITE, aside from some brief moments before and during the opening credits, is set inside a single location – the main characters’ apartment. This gives the movie something of a “stage play” film at times, which in all honesty works to the film’s benefit. The screenplay, written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, is razor sharp and lightning fast for the movie’s entire 107-minute duration, keeping audiences’ eyes and ears glued to the screen. The expertly crafted script is accompanied by a minimalist score by Devonte Hynes, which does just as good a job conveying emotion as the dialogue itself. Hell, you could have this entire movie be score only with no audible dialogue, and you’d know the mood and what’s going on from the Hynes music alone. That’s no small feat!
The film only has four principal characters, but they’re perfectly cast and everyone has an amazing chemistry with one other. Seth Rogen as the failed musician turned music teacher, Olivia Wilde (who also directed) as his homemaker wife/mother of his child, Penelope Cruz as their sex therapist neighbor, and her husband, a retired firefighter pursuing other passions, played by Edward Norton. It’s hard to go into specifics here without getting into spoiler territory, but despite the film’s limited locations and small tasks, it goes in some very interesting directions, with everyone involve both clashing and bonding. The back and forth is what keeps THE INVITE interesting. How can a comedy-drama about four people be more tense and suspenseful (and hilarious!) than most straight-up suspense thrillers? It’s a delicate balancing act, but Ms. Wilde pulls it off with flying colors.
Probably the only minor issue with an otherwise stellar film is that it does tend to lose a bit of momentum near the end of its third and final act (keep in mind this movie is nearly 25 minutes longer than the Spanish language film on which it was based), taking things in a slightly darker and more dramatic direction in its later moments (with the transition from laugh-out-loud hilarity to realistic hard-hitting drama being reminiscent of THE LAST AMERICAN VIRGIN). Aside from this misstep, THE INVITE is still a fantastic film, and it thankfully gives us an optimistic conclusion despite occasionally losing its way.
THE INVITE is definitely Oscar material. The direction is great. The cast delivers their lines with expert precision or awkwardness where needed. The screenplay is solid. The music does just as good a job conveying emotion as the dialogue. It’s one of those rare cinematic experiences where just about everything comes together perfectly, and stands strong as another solid effort from Olivia Wilde, only occasionally losing its footing near the end. One of the best movies of 2026. Highly recommended!