Olivia Wilde, Penélope Cruz, Seth Rogen, and Edward Norton explore midlife crises and the wear and tear of long-term relationships in *The Invite*, a film that, amid laughter, invites viewers to reflect on love, desire, and the search for new ways to connect.
“I fell in love with this script when I read it; I couldn’t stop laughing for the two or three hours I spent reading it, It fascinated me, and I think it’s very hard to find material like this: such a clever comedy with so many layers,” Cruz said in an interview with EFE while walking the black carpet at the film’s premiere in Los Angeles.
The film, directed by Wilde, follows Joe (Rogen) and Angela (Wilde), a married couple who are finding it increasingly difficult to stand each other, as they host their neighbors Pina (Cruz) and Hawk (Norton) at their home one night, a passionate and uninhibited couple who don’t hesitate to display—and let everyone hear from their apartment—their intense sex life.
What seemed to be an innocent introductory gathering takes a different turn after a provocative and sensual proposal from the neighbors, leading to confessions, awkward moments, and various tensions that will test not only their hospitality but also everything they thought they knew about their own marriage.
“It’s a movie about (…) how relationships evolve and change as you get older, which I think is something I really related to,” Rogen told EFE, admitting that he drew inspiration from his father to play the frustrated musician.
“To be honest, I drew a little inspiration from my father, someone who loves nothing more than making other people feel uncomfortable and who, in a way, refuses to hide his own unhappiness and contempt for certain situations he’s forced to be in,” added the creator of ‘The Studio’.
In Cruz’s case, the challenge was to avoid falling into clichés while bringing the daring therapist to life—a role that even led her to change her look, going from her usual brown hair to platinum blonde.
“I loved exploring with Olivia just how far to take this character (…) How to avoid falling into the cliché of the therapist—and I think there aren’t any clichés about anyone in this movie, which means the audience doesn’t judge any of the characters and can relate to little things about each one,” noted the actress from *Jamón, jamón*.
The film, which runs for nearly two hours, takes place entirely in an apartment, so the weight of the plot rests entirely on the performances— sometimes hilarious, sometimes intense and devastating, as well as on Wilde’s dual role, as he directs his colleagues, whom he describes as “playful geniuses.”
“Maintaining the chemistry between us wasn’t difficult because all I had to do was simply be present with these people. They’re so good at what they do,” the actress explained to EFE.
“The Invite,” which hits theaters in the United States this Friday following its debut at the Sundance Film Festival in January, is Rashida Jones and Will McCormack’s adaptation of the comedy-drama “Sentimental” by Spanish director Cesc Gay.
“Olivia really made this movie her own. Rashida and Will took the script, preserved the integrity of the original Spanish film, but reinvented it and made it their own. They did a brilliant job. Tonight, I’m the luckiest guy in Hollywood,” producer David Permut told the EFE News Agency.