Title – The Invite (2026)
Director – Olivia Wilde (Don’t Worry Darling)
Cast – Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Edward Norton, Penelope Cruz
Plot – Struggling middle-aged married couple Joe (Rogen) and Angela (Wilde) get more than they bargained for when they invite their mysterious neighbours Pina (Cruz) and Hawk (Norton) over for dinner at their apartment.
“We love a contentious environment”
Review by Eddie on 02/11/2026
Recovering from the disappointment that was the promising but rather forgettable Don’t Worry Darling in 2022, Olivia Wilde teams up with talented actress/writer Rashida Jones (co-scripting the film with writing partner Will McCormack) to deliver one of the year’s most memorable and well-performed dramedies.
The newest big screen version of the hit 2020 Spanish film The People Upstairs, which has now with this effort been adapted as a feature film five separate times, The Invite is set almost entirely in the apartment owned by Wilde and Seth Rogen’s struggling married couple Angela and Joe, as the two get more than they initially expected when their mysterious neighbours Pina and Hawk, played by Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton in some of their best acting roles in years.
This almost singular setting film would clearly work brilliantly on stage done right but with Wilde and her creative team on top form here The Invite never once becomes a dull or uneventful experience as it continues to merge into unexpected territories and situations that are hilariously and often heartbreakingly played out by the A-list cast.
Going through somewhat of a lean patch over recent years acting wise, Wilde, Cruz and Norton all shine as bright as they have in many a moon here, Wilde relishing in her desperate for attention turn as Angela while Cruz and Norton have an absolute blast bringing the colourful Pina and Hawk to life, with Norton also getting too remind us of his power as a performer, delivering one of the films key monologues towards the latter stages of the runtime.
What’s perhaps most surprising and in turn pleasant here in The Invite is the turn of Rogen as the hard to love but hard to hate Joe, a character that on paper isn’t too dissimilar to the type of roles you’d expect to see Rogen in (herbs included), Joe gives Rogen a genuine chance to do more than viewers might become accustomed to over time when it’s come to Rogen’s well-worn schtick and it wouldn’t be at all surprising from here that Rogen becomes a major awards player in the silly season soon to take hold in Hollywood.
A film that’s best watched with as little prior knowledge to its narrative movements as possible and one that comes together brilliantly thanks to Wilde’s keen eye in the editing suite, ensuring this confined location never feels like its growing tired or devoid of energy, The Invite tackles some dark and mature themes but does so smartly, respectfully and surprisingly, all the while gifting us with one of the funniest experiences you’ll get from a cinematic offering this year.
Final Say –
A sharp, sassy and savvy affair, The Invite is a joy to watch thanks to Wilde’s keen eye behind the camera and her and her fellow castmates winning turns in front of the camera, including an arguably career best Seth Rogen turn.
4 new rugs out of 5
