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The third time’s a charm for director Olivia Wilde. The Invite is a comedic chamber piece that plays to her strengths as a character-driven storyteller. The film closed the 2026 Seattle International Film Festival.
Seth Rogen’s Joe and Wilde’s Angela turn mundane relationship arguments into something hilariously unpredictable, frequently poignant, and surprisingly thoughtful about what love looks like long after the meet-cute phase has ended. It’s her strongest directorial outing yet. Wilde, Rogen, Norton, and Cruz have fantastic chemistry, and the razor-sharp editing keeps the film walking a tonal tightrope between laugh-out-loud comedy and heartbreaking reality checks. There are at least two monologues that feel made for an Oscar reel pitch.
This is perfect date-night counter-programming for adults who want something messier, riskier, and more nuanced than capes or cartoons this summer. The sharper edges might be too risqué for some mainstream audiences, but that’s part of its charm.
Worth noting: the 35mm SIFF screening gave the film a warm, nostalgic texture closer to its named inspiration, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? We hope wider audiences get the chance to experience it that way.
The film opens in LA and New York on June 26th before a wide release rollout in July. Listen to The Cinematic Schematic for the audio review.
About The Invite
According to IMDB, The Invite is described as:
Joe and Angela’s marriage is on thin ice. When they invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbors for a dinner party, the night spirals into unexpected places.
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