The Invite
A Dinner Party That Spirals — What You Need to Know
The Invite is a 2026 dramedy about two couples trapped at a dinner table where politeness dissolves fast. Seth Rogen plays Joe, a husband whose marriage to Angela (Olivia Wilde, who also directs) is already fraying. Their upstairs neighbors Piña and Hawk arrive — and Piña, a sexually adventurous sexologist played by Penélope Cruz, asks a question that cracks the evening wide open. What follows is 108 minutes of wince-comedy and uncomfortable truth-telling, with Edward Norton as Hawk completing a cast that doesn't waste a frame.
It's a remake of Cesc Gay's Spanish film The People Upstairs, adapted by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack. The thing nobody mentions is how much the cinematography does — all those mirrors, bodies reflected and doubled, making self-examination literal without the heavy hand. That's Wilde operating with real control.
Release Year: 2026 | Runtime: 108 minutes | Rating: R | Where to Stream: Check Movie OTT's tracking widget for current platform availability
Why Critics Are Divided — and Why That Matters
The film holds a 77 on Metacritic (generally favorable), but the 5.6 IMDb user score tells you something: critics and general audiences aren't seeing the same movie. That gap almost always means the film made people genuinely uncomfortable.
Here's what's working. Cruz is the standout. Playing someone who disrupts through radical honesty rather than malice, she's magnetic in a way that makes everyone else's discomfort feel earned. There's a moment early where Piña asks a question the other three clearly weren't prepared for — and the way the camera holds on Rogen's face is quietly devastating. Funny and painful. Both at once, which is the whole thing.
Wilde's direction shows maturity that wasn't always present in her earlier work. The screenplay gives the cast room to bicker, and the dialogue lands as both sharp and pointed. Some reviewers noted the ending retreats into safety — the film reaffirms monogamy in ways that feel slightly cautious given how boldly the first two acts push. But that criticism reads like a compliment. The film goes further than most studio comedies would dare, then pulls back before falling off the cliff.
If You've Seen These, You'll Get This
Think Carnage (trapped adults, escalating tension, no real escape route) mixed with the relationship-interrogation mode of The Big Chill. If you like films that use comedy as a Trojan horse for something messier — something about desire, monogamy, and what we actually owe each other — you'll find something here.
The R rating isn't just language. It's the frank way the characters discuss sex, queerness, and infidelity. This isn't a film for family viewing. It's made for adults who've sat across from someone at dinner and thought, "I have no idea what you actually want."
The Cast and the Creative Team
Seth Rogen as Joe: the husband whose comedic deflection starts to read as sadness as the night goes on. Olivia Wilde as Angela, his wife. Penélope Cruz as Piña — the disruptor. Edward Norton as Hawk. That's a lineup. Produced by Annapurna Pictures and FilmNation Entertainment, with A24 handling U.S. distribution. That pedigree signals intent.
Wilde directs from a screenplay by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack. The source material — Gay's The People Upstairs — has real credibility. It works because it refuses to inflate stakes. Small social failures are dramatic enough on their own. This adaptation keeps that instinct while building something distinctly American around it.
Where to Watch Right Now
The Invite cycled through a limited theatrical run before moving to digital platforms, which is standard A24 strategy for relationship comedies. It's currently available on major OTT services — your best bet is Movie OTT's where-to-watch tool, which tracks streaming rights in real time. Availability shifts week to week after theatrical, and Movie OTT updates that widget constantly, so you'll know exactly which platform has it and at what price tier before you click.
Hard to say if availability will expand further, but A24 titles typically land on multiple services within 6-8 months of release.
Should You Actually Watch This?
Yes — if you liked Carnage or anything that traps articulate people in a room until they say something they can't take back. The comedy makes you wince before you laugh. The film asks questions about relationships that it doesn't fully answer, and that's intentional.
Sharp writing. A cast operating at a high level. Wilde directing with purpose. Worth 108 minutes of your evening. Just know what you're walking into: this is adult conversation filmed as drama-comedy. No plot mechanics to lean on. Just people, a table, and everything they've been avoiding saying out loud until now.
