The Invite
Joe and Angela’s marriage is on thin ice. When they invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbors for a dinner party, the night spirals into unexpected places.
Critics Sentiment
Joe and Angela's marriage falls apart in real time in front of their guests
The film's pacing falters as Wilde strains to manufacture forward momentum
The film swings from its peak score of 8.0 as the marriage spectacularly unravels before the guests to a low of 4.5 in the immediately following stretch where pacing falters and manufactured momentum fails to convince.
The Invite earns its warmest reception in the middle act, where the dinner party's social dynamics crackle with wit and the cast operates at full power, but the film loses grip in its later passages where choppy editing and a cloying score undermine the emotional rawness. Reviewers are broadly charmed by the chamber-piece conceit and the four leads, particularly Cruz and Norton, while divided on whether the ending delivers on the film's considerable promise. The overall arc is one of a film that peaks early-to-mid and coasts unevenly to a conclusion that satisfies some and frustrates others.
Crew
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