Olivia Wilde’s Stunning Critical Comeback With ‘The Invite’ Is the Redemption Arc Hollywood Needed

Adult comedies rarely get their moment in the summer sun, but Olivia Wilde is changing that in a major way. Her third feature as a director, ‘The Invite,’ arrived in limited theaters and immediately reminded audiences that there is still a powerful appetite for smart, character-driven comedy when the right people are behind it. The film marks a seismic creative shift for a filmmaker who has spent the past few years navigating the rocky aftermath of her previous project.

‘The Invite’ is a remake of a Spanish stage-to-screen adaptation, ‘The People Upstairs,’ which was released in 2020 and has already inspired remakes set in Italy, Switzerland, France, and South Korea. In this new version, Wilde plays Angela, who lives in a San Francisco apartment with her husband Joe, played by Seth Rogen. The film unfolds over a single evening, with their upstairs neighbors, the bohemian and magnetically open Pina and Hawk, arriving for wine and charcuterie. Hawk and Pina, played by Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton, are extroverts who have built their lives around freedom and pleasure, and their presence throws Angela and Joe’s quietly crumbling marriage into sharp relief.

Now, Rotten Tomatoes has confirmed what festival audiences already sensed. @RottenTomatoes announced that ‘The Invite’ is Certified Fresh at 93% on the Tomatometer, based on 88 reviews. Critics across the board reached for comparisons to a modern-day ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?’ and the score represents a remarkable turnaround for Wilde. Her previous film earned a 38% on the Tomatometer, and Wilde has said that score actually liberated her to make ‘The Invite.’

The journey to this moment began at the Sundance Film Festival, where ‘The Invite’ proved a knockout, earning Wilde a standing ovation after the screening. A24 ultimately acquired the film for a reported $12 million following the Sundance debut. Wilde, speaking about the release, said “I feel so lucky. This is the greatest job in the world, and to be able to make a film with this group of people and to be able to release it in theaters is the dream.” She made those remarks to Variety at the film’s premiere.

The film keeps proceedings undeniably funny at a rapid pace while consistently drip-feeding new revelations about the characters during zingers and laughs, with the dynamics between the four shifting throughout the night. Critic Matt Zoller Seitz noted that the last half-hour represents the best work Wilde has yet done as a director, and that all four lead performances are excellent, each taking the viewer on a different trip. At the specialty box office, the film secured a top limited opening for the year to date.

Wilde delivers what many are calling her best-ever work as an actor when directing herself, as her character’s confrontational attitude smacks right up against Rogen’s deadpan sardonicism. Some critics are now positioning ‘The Invite’ as a potential major Oscars contender for A24, pointing to its stellar cast, script, and team of artisans. For a filmmaker who faced genuine public doubt after her last outing, a 93% on the Tomatometer backed by a strong box office debut is the kind of statement that reshapes a career narrative entirely.

Whether you think this dinner party deserves a seat at the awards table this season, drop your take in the comments below.