Seth Rogen delivers a standout performance in The Invite, a four-way sex comedy of embarrassment directed by and starring Olivia Wilde. The film, adapted from the Spanish movie The People Upstairs by Cesc Gay, also features Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton as a stylish couple. Rogen's ironic humor and distinctive laugh keep the film's absurdities in check, preventing it from feeling overly artificial.
Plot and Characters
Rogen plays Joe, a former musician in a band called the Onslaught, now teaching music at a minor liberal arts college and living in his late parents' apartment. He suffers from depression and a psychosomatic bad back, with his off-camera 12-year-old daughter being the sole bright spot. His wife Angela (Wilde) invites their supercool neighbors Piña (Cruz) and Hawk (Norton) for a dinner party. Angela aims to apologize for renovation noise, but Joe intends to confront them about their loud and uninhibited sex.
Performances and Direction
Wilde, who also directs, leads a cast that includes Cruz and Norton as effortlessly bohemian and progressive characters. They frequently lapse into Spanish, making their hosts feel parochial and uptight. Screenwriters Will McCormack and Rashida Jones set up Rogen's punchlines effectively. Without Rogen's levity, the film might feel oppressively stagey, as it is adapted from a stageplay and has already been remade in Korea.
Comparisons and Reception
The film resembles Roman Polanski's Carnage (2011) and Francis Veber's Le Dîner de Cons, remade as Dinner for Schmucks. It takes time to settle, with an initial overuse of musical score that thankfully fades. The mood shifts are sudden, but Rogen's comedy makes the outrageous twists palatable. The film is funny and moving, with Rogen on top of his game.
The Invite is out now in the US, on 3 July in the UK, and on 9 July in Australia.
