REVIEW: "The Invite"

Genre: Comedy; Drama.
Director: Olivia Wilde
Writers: Will McCormack & Rashida Jones
Starring: Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton

It's been a while since a movie this simple had me totally gripped. Olivia Wilde's simple but razor sharp and delightfully fulfilling cinematic venture had me laughing out loud at times and left me with watery eyes by the end. It's a movie that makes you care for the central relationship as the leads explore themselves in the light of other couple's eyes. A comedy-drama this rare deserves to seen at the theatre.

Pretty much like a Woody Allen approach, Olivia Wilde's lets us know the main characters and some of their inner anguishes before introducing the disrupting supporting players that enter the scene in order to set the central narrative on fire. We get to know Angela (Wilde) and Joe (Rogen) are a bit lost in their everyday routine drama with their relationship is barely afloat and that they crave the life of their neighbors Pina (Cruz) and Hawk (Norton). The narrative seems full of gasoline and as an audience member, I was simply waiting for them to ignite their matches, but The Invite turned up into something very different from its initial promise. What was meant to be the orgy or swing dinner party movie revealed itself as one of the most poignant, funny and moving relationship studies I've ever seen on-screen. In the end, I was destroyed (Marriage Story level of destroyed).

Of course, most of its flowers is due to an amazing quartet of performances: Wilde's unhinged portrayed of a neurotic housewife who feels limited; Rogen sarcastic and acid take on a frustrated artist and frustrated husband; Cruz's charming and flirty take on a woman who's perfect pretending everything is great on the surface; and Norton who hides an extremely complex core inside a quirky and horny man. These four actors deliver some of the most interesting performances of their respective careers and all four clearly understood the assigment. There's also the fifth character: the apartment! Yes, the apartment also plays a huge part here: a house WHO was remodeled to have a more pleasant look (like the couple that lives in it); the cracks on the bedroom wall show the cracks in Angela and Joe's marriage; the carpet made to impress the others and to hide an empty floor; the study where Joe likes to be himself since he's not allowed to be so in the other parts of his own home; or the kitchen where all Angela's effort is a flop (like her sexual attempt there). Yes, director Olivia Wilde and production designer Jade Healy crafter a character that has no lines but express a thousand emotions through the movie and that was pretty impressive!

Other technical aspects really elevate the movie to another level: the grainy cinematography by Adam Newport-Berra and the clever and dynamic editing work by Yorgos Mavropsaridis and Anthony Boys. Despite the fact this movie succeeds because of a near-perfect screenplay that not only engages the audience and gives the actors enough meat to dive deep into their characters, truth is these aspects (production design and cinematography) give The Invite a beauty that's rare in a simple comedy movie, while the editing makes sure you are never bored and feel the anxiety of the central conflict. Yes, Olivia Wilde crafted a very special movie and she deftly handles the perfect tone for it thanks to a very sensitive vision and a distinct sense of humor. Extra points for being able to direct herself and pull her best acting turn yet!

The best movie I've seen this year: The Invite is a rare cinematic gem and it reminded me that the best movies are not the epic ones, but those who have a heart and something important to say: some things end, but they can be rebuild different! To me, it was perfect!

RATING: 10/10

Oscar potential categories:

• Best Picture
• Best Director (Olivia Wilde)
• Best Actress in a Leading Role (Olivia Wilde)
• Best Actor in a Leading Role (Seth Rogen)
• Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Penélope Cruz)
• Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Edward Norton)
• Best Adapted Screenplay
• Best Editing
• Best Production Design