The Invite is a dramedy directed by Olivia Wilde starring her and Seth Rogen as a strained couple who invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbors (played by Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton) to a dinner which quickly spirals in a shocking direction. Adapted from Spanish film The People Upstairs, the film began a limited release on June 26 and begins a nation-wide release July 10.
If you are only now hearing about this movie, you're not alone.
Despite premiering at Sundance, being distributed by A24, and featuring some all-time great actors, many had no idea the film even existed until they heard about it through word-of-mouth. I went into the film with lowered expectations; surely such an under-marketed movie can't be that good, right?
How I was wrong.
In its just over 100-minute runtime, the film manages to be both massively funny and stress-inducing. With easily some of the best writing and dialog I have witnessed this year, the film never even starts to feel stale despite being confined to only 4 characters in one apartment building. The narrative is constantly evolving, allowing characters we think we understand to really unfold on-screen.
All of the characters in the film are so well done as well, striking a perfect chord between recognizable, realistic characteristics and a fun exoticness. Every actor really killed it in delivering a completely embodied performance, hitting their marks in big moments but also showcasing very realistic (and humorous) micro expressions and eye movements. Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz give us an interesting couple, contrasting in nuanced ways with Seth Rogen and Olivia Wilde's characters strained relationship.
Knowing that Olivia Wilde both acted and directed the film blows my mind and shows her mastery over the medium. I cannot recommend going into the film blind highly enough.
If the movie is an instant classic, why is it stifled in its release? The problem is one that plagues many films released by production studio and distributor A24.
While A24 has already released a plethora of huge films with massive marketing campaigns this year (notably The Drama, Undertone, and Backrooms), just as many films have been released with next to no marketing (The Moment, Pillion, and The Invite), many of which end up going under the public's radar. Not even films produced by the studio are safe from this, as The Death of Robin Hood saw very little marketing. While many of these are not slated to be huge hits [*cough Mother Mary cough*], if a film slated for as much success as The Invite is being constricted by its release, there is clearly an issue.
As it sits, films with marketing like The Invite need to be sought out by moviegoers, weeding out much of the public from ever hearing about it, let alone seeing it in theaters. While this marketing strategy may be a reaction to the overall trend of decreasing theater attendance, there have been just as many breakout successes in recent years of movies that, when properly supplemented with adequate marketing, have been able to blow up (Marty Supreme, Obsession, Backrooms).
If this trend continues, who knows how many potential massive successes may be stifled to a domestic flop?
