“The Invite” (2026) (USA). Cast: Seth Rogen, Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz, Edward Norton. Director: Olivia Wilde. Screenplay: Will McCormack and Rashida Jones. Story Source: Cesc Gay, writer-director, “Sentimental” (“The People Upstairs”) (Spain) (2020). Web site. Trailer.

Nineteenth Century Irish novelist, playwright and raconteur Oscar Wilde, widely known for his witticisms and observations about life, is generally credited for the following arguably astute advice: “One should always be in love. That is the reason why one should never marry.” And it’s most fitting that those very words should eloquently serve as a cinematic epigraph at the start of a new comedy-drama about a casual, neighborly social occasion that goes awry while simultaneously providing its unsuspecting participants with new, eye-opening, revelatory insights about life, love, marriage, sexuality and a host of other topics, “The Invite.”

Ah, the joys and comforts of wedded bliss – or, at least that some might believe about Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde). The long-married couple with a teenage daughter lives in a spacious, upscale apartment in San Francisco that Joe inherited from his parents, the kind of residence that most of the city’s residents can only dream about. Joe, a former rock band member, has a stable job as a music professor at a local university, and Angela, a degreed arts graduate, is a stay-at-home mom, attending to their domestic needs, decorating and working on miscellaneous projects of personal interest.

Sounds like an ideal arrangement, right? Guess again.

The discord in the couple’s marriage becomes apparent right from the start, from the moment Joe walks in the front door after coming home from work. Yet the upset between them doesn’t originate with them. It seems that Angela has invited another couple in their building over for dinner, and it’s not entirely clear whether she has properly informed Joe about it, especially when she comes up with several, ostensibly contradictory explanations to address it and his seemingly reasonable questions. At this point, the gloves come off, launching the couple into an evening of ongoing sparring, some of which involves the invited guests – and some of which doesn’t.

Before the neighbors arrive, it’s obvious that Joe and Angela are ill-prepared to entertain guests. What’s more, when Joe learns who the guests are, he’s more than a little annoyed. Admittedly, the hosts don’t know their guests well, but they certainly seem to know enough about them to have developed relatively well-defined opinions about them. For Joe, this is primarily due to the issues he has with them. He sees them as noisy and inconsiderate, particularly when they engage in frequent, raucous, late-night love-making sessions in their bedroom upstairs, which is directly above where Joe and Angela sleep (or attempt to do so). As a consequence, he’s determined to voice his concerns when they arrive, a decision that angers Angela, given that she wants to make a good impression in promoting neighborly harmony. And this dispute is only one in a series of minor disasters that occur prior to the guests’ arrival.

Needless to say, the guests can’t help but overhear the arguing from the outside hallway before entering the hosts’ apartment. So, when Piña (Penélope Cruz), a counselor, and Hawk (Edward Norton), a former firefighter, walk in, they can’t help but comment on the quarrel and ask if this is a bad time for their get-together. True to form, Angela tries to graciously smooth things over, while Joe mutters a variety of colorful asides about the circumstances, simultaneously hoping that the neighbors both will and won’t hear what he has to say. And, at this point, the dynamics of their evening together begin falling into place.

Piña and Hawk prove to be very different from their hosts. They’re decidedly free-wheeling free thinkers, far more open, uninhibited and candid than Joe and Angela, who, curiously, are simultaneously shocked and intrigued about what they have to say, both about themselves and hypothetically. As a result, Joe and Angela are quietly but systematically yanked out of their comfort zones, a scenario that gives each of them permission to be more frank as well, both about their relationship with their guests and their partnership with one another.

To say more at this juncture would reveal too much about what ultimately unfolds, but suffice it to say that circumstances unleash an array of dialogues and situations that are wildly hilarious, devastatingly dramatic, unexpectedly erotic, and, above all, revelatory on multiple fronts. Disclosures emerge involving the relationship between the two couples, as well as between the partners in each relationship. Long-hidden, and, more importantly, long-ignored, issues emerge, leaving all four members of this quartet in different places from where the evening began. These revelations also give them much to think about for the future, both about themselves individually and as couples. Who knew that so much could arise from what was supposed to be a simple get-together among neighbors for dinner and drinks?

Clearly, this is a case where the beliefs held by each of the characters play an enormous role in how their situations and mindsets have evolved. That’s important to recognize in terms of how our beliefs contribute to the formulation of our existence, a product of the conscious creation process, the philosophy that makes such outcomes possible. While it’s likely that Piña (because of her work) and Hawk (because he’s Piña’s partner) may have heard of this school of thought, it’s also obvious that Joe and Angela are clueless, willfully oblivious or in denial about this line of thinking. And, as their conversations reveal, it’s apparent that they could all benefit from an examination of this ideology, as neighbors, couples and individuals. The key question here, of course, is, are they willing to do so?

As the evening’s festivities unfold, it’s obvious that all four participants can learn much about themselves and each other by scrutinizing their beliefs, given that they’re essential to the emergence of their respective realities. But, with a lack of understanding and awareness of this notion, how are they to begin?

This is where Piña steps to center stage. As a counselor, she spends her days helping people come to better understandings of themselves. In this regard, then, she acts as an informal facilitator to address this question. And, even though she tends to express her ideas in psychological terms (with twinges of metaphysics thrown in for good measure), she nevertheless impresses on the others the idea that the world around them begins with them. And that, in turn, originates with the beliefs they each hold about that world in all of its aspects.

Of course, it’s virtually impossible to tweak those beliefs without an awareness of the role they play in conceiving their world in the first place. Piña clearly understands this, and her influence has apparently rubbed off on Hawk by virtue of their relationship. She also recognizes that Hawk began to understand this concept before they met, given the changes that he made in his beliefs (and in his life) in the wake of his experience with a devastating personal tragedy, one that prompted him to give up firefighting and refocus his life in other directions. These changes, in turn, opened up a path that led him to Piña and the start of a new way of life.

Their efforts in these regards, however, vastly outshine where Joe and Angela are in their lives, both individually and as a couple. That’s because they’re still in the starting blocks of this process. They obviously have no understanding or appreciation for the power of their beliefs and what they can achieve. In fact, it’s almost as if they’ve put on blinders to keep them from seeing the truth. They essentially live in willful ignorance of the concept, blissfully oblivious to what their beliefs are and what they can do for them, again both individually and collectively.

In essence, then, waking up to this way of thinking and then examining the specific beliefs dictating their existence is imperative if Joe and Angela want to understand why their lives and relationship have emerged as they have. Joe, for example, feels unfulfilled by his university job when he’d rather be making music of his own. Angela, in turn, seems to be doing little more than keeping herself busy with her daily domestic routine instead of putting her education to use in something more substantive. And, because each of them derive little satisfaction from what they’re doing with themselves, the stress they’re each experiencing can’t help but spill over into other areas of their existence, such as the health of their marriage.

However, because they have deliberately chosen to ignore these circumstances and the beliefs that prompted them, they remain mired in denial and, consequently, a seemingly unending stalemate, one that’s been made worse through purposeful disregard. Is that a productive and fulfilling use of our beliefs, considering what they’re capable of creating and accomplishing? But, to get off this intractable dime, they must become aware and accepting of this process to begin making any forward progress.

It’s also important to note that, from the range of areas affected by the couple’s apparent stagnation, they’re dealing with adjusting their core beliefs, the notions that function like a computer’s operating system for driving all of the software programs and apps riding in top of it. Redefining these beliefs can be a significantly challenging process in light of everything they’re being tasked to do. By the same token, however, it’s also impressive what altering them can achieve, given the power they carry and the range over which it can be applied. But none of this will matter if no effort is made to overcome whatever obliviousness might get in the way of making any of this happen. Time to get busy.

To some, “The Invite” might sound more like a therapy session than a work of entertainment, but nothing could be further from the truth. While the film offers up its share of meaningful philosophical insights, it’s anything but a dry or cathartic session on a shrink’s couch. Indeed, this latest feature from actress-filmmaker Olivia Wilde is easily her best work behind the camera to date.

Based on the 2020 Spanish comedy-drama, “Sentimental” (released domestically as “The People Upstairs”), this American remake presents an incisive, sometimes-brutal, often-cynical and wickedly funny look at the subjects of relationships, self-awareness and personal fulfillment through the eyes of two married couples. Their time together is characterized by witty and scathing exchanges that cleverly go for the jugular, as well as moments of deep drama, heartwarming tenderness and stunning insights about one another. It thus depicts an evening of provocatively unexpected twists and turns that leave both couples drastically changed by night’s end, a change that could well impact viewers, too.

While the film occasionally tries a little too hard to evoke viewer responses (especially at the outset), once the picture finds its groove, it effectively fires on all cylinders, thanks to the outstanding writing and stellar performances of the perfectly cast quartet. “The Invite” feels very much like a Woody Allen movie from the days when he was at the peak of his career but without being a blatant copycat. What’s more, given that the bulk of the film takes place on one set, it comes across like a play, but the picture never feels the least bit stagey, maintaining a steady pace and effectively holding audience attention.

This release defied any expectations I might have had about it going into the theater, a pleasant surprise in itself, but the fact that it shines on so many fronts makes it all the more worthwhile. The picture is admittedly sometimes a little cringey to watch, but it always rebounds, redeeming itself with perfectly timed comic relief. This is one invitation you won’t want to turn down. The film is currently playing theatrically.

Turning a blind eye to difficult situations may provide temporary relief under trying circumstances, but it’s hardly a long-term remedy, especially since believing in that notion can do more harm than good by forestalling much-needed resolution. Getting to the root of the matter – correcting the beliefs that are the source of the problem – is the only way to rectify it. That can be an unsettling prospect, to be sure, but consider how much more anguish we might experience by intentionally, albeit unconsciously, keeping the issue at bay. Indeed, that’s “inviting” trouble, and, for my money, I’d rather that the invitations that come my way have more to do with dinner and cocktails than tackling needless, avoidable self-inflicted distress, not to mention no hors d’oeuvres..

Copyright © 2026, by Brent Marchant. All rights reserved.