The Invite (2026)

The Invite is the kind of adult dramedy that feels like a pressure cooker with a champagne cork in it—funny, tense, and fizzing with the thrill of not knowing which way the night will tilt. Olivia Wilde directs with a sharp eye for social awkwardness and emotional truth, letting the laughs land while the quiet bruises of a marriage show through, and she’s terrific on-screen opposite Seth Rogen, who brings both comic timing and surprising vulnerability. When Penélope Cruz arrives, the movie gains a seductive, unpredictable charge, turning a simple dinner into a lively exploration of desire, resentment, and the stories couples tell themselves to stay together. It’s not for anyone looking for a sweet, family-friendly comedy—this is R-rated relationship chaos—but if you like your humor grown-up and your drama honest, it’s an irresistibly entertaining night out.

The Invite wants to be a sharp, uncomfortable dinner-party pressure cooker that pokes at marriage, jealousy, and the fantasies people don’t say out loud, and you can feel Olivia Wilde aiming for something messy and honest. The problem is it often plays like a remix of better “one night goes off the rails” relationship dramas, with twists that arrive more because the script needs a jolt than because the emotions have been properly built. The pacing can drag in the middle, so if you’re expecting Seth Rogen to keep things lively or the comedy to carry the tension, you may find yourself waiting for the movie to catch fire. That said, the cast is committed and there are flashes of insight in the awkward silences and power shifts, but if mature sexual themes and implied swinging are more likely to make you roll your eyes than lean in, this probably isn’t your dinner invitation.