The Invite

Beyond its logistical simplicity — four characters, one night, one apartment — it’s easy to see why The Invite is the fifth remake of a Spanish comedy that came out just six years ago.

Playfully irreverent and aggressively ribald, this incisive dissection of marriage and commitment from director Olivia Wilde (Booksmart) offers a fresh spin on familiar themes while reveling in its raunchy middle-aged awkwardness, with many of its biggest laughs layered with a sense of relatable discomfort.

Within the claustrophobic confines of a Bay Area high-rise, Joe (Seth Rogen) arrives home from his job as a music instructor at a local conservatory. He’s got chronic back pain and hasn’t touched his home piano in years.

The daily bickering with his wife, Angela (Wilde) intensifies almost immediately when she announces that she’s invited the upstairs neighbors for dinner that night, and is even baking a souffle for the occasion.

As part of his opposition, Joe announces plans to confront the visitors about the persistent noise from their loud sex at all hours. “It’s none of our business what they do in the privacy of their own home,” counters Angela, who wants to go out of her way to appease them and keep up appearances.

The tension is already boiling even before the doorbell rings. Hawk (Edward Norton) is a quirky ex-firefighter and Pina (Penelope Cruz) is a therapist. Both are anxious to see the renovations beneath them that have reciprocated the racket.

But how well do they know each other? As secrets are revealed, the conversations become much more intimate and intrusive than anyone anticipated, regardless of ulterior motives or preconceived notions.

Jealousy, resentment, insecurities, and desires bubble to the surface. Before the evening is over, an otherwise innocuous dinner has become a pivotal moment in the future of both relationships.

The screenplay by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack (Celeste and Jesse Forever) — adapted from Cesc Gay’s acclaimed 2020 film Sentimental — is a sharply observed collection of sarcastic quips and witty repartee that digs beneath the eccentricities to explore universal truths.

More important, however, is what’s left unspoken, which is where the four performers benefit from some intriguing dynamics and fill in the emotional gaps.

The film spins its wheels with some narrative detours. However, effectively juggling comic and dramatic tones while infusing its broken relationships with a glimmer of hope, The Invite is worth an RSVP.

Rated R, 107 minutes.