‘The Invite’ Review: You’re Going to Want to Attend Olivia Wilde’s Crackling, Crazy Entertaining Dinner Party from Hell
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- Olivia Wilde directs and stars in 'The Invite,' which premiered at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival and is set for a Friday, June 26 theatrical release from A24.
- 'The Invite' follows married couple Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Wilde) as they host upstairs neighbors Hawk (Edward Norton) and Pina (Penelope Cruz) for a tense dinner in their San Francisco apartment, with the film opening on an Oscar Wilde epigraph about never marrying.
- Wilde's lead performance — described as having 'Lucille Ball elasticity' — is singled out by the reviewer as her best on-screen work to date, with a standout five-second bit of physical comedy when a soufflé is ruined.
- Rashida Jones and Will McCormack wrote the script, with a nerve-shredding score by Devonté Hynes, cinematography by Adam Newport-Berra, and costumes by Arianne Phillips that the reviewer says cleverly oppose the two couples.
- The reviewer notes the third act stumbles, trading the film's high humor for darker emotions and introducing what he calls a 'tiny, left-turn mystery' about the true nature of Hawk and Pina.
- The review positions 'The Invite' as a marked improvement over Wilde's previous directorial effort, 'Don't Worry Darling,' answering similar questions about relationships and deception with 'far more insight and entertaining humor.'
Why it matters: With A24 distributing and a Rogen-Norton-Cruz supporting cast, the June 26 theatrical release gives Wilde a chance to convert Sundance buzz into theatrical momentum after 'Don't Worry Darling' handled the same thematic terrain less successfully. The reviewer also singles out Wilde's lead performance as her best on-screen work, marking a rare instance where she's credited for both directing and starring at a high level in the same film.
