The Invite (2026)
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A strained couple's evening is complicated when they host their boisterous neighbors for dinner.
The story
In San Francisco, musician Joe and his wife Angela navigate a rocky marriage characterized by constant bickering. When Angela invites their upstairs neighbors, Pina and Hawk, over for dinner to impress them, Joe is forced to maintain a facade of calm despite their ongoing tensions. The evening becomes a minefield of social awkwardness as Angela struggles to host the guests while Joe openly antagonizes the neighbors. The situation escalates as the four neighbors and residents find themselves forced into an intimate and uncomfortable proximity, navigating the boundaries of their respective relationships and the secrets they keep behind closed doors.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In San Francisco, musician Joe and his wife Angela are struggling through a rocky marriage. When Angela invites their upstairs neighbors, Pina and Hawk, over for dinner, the tension between the two couples peaks. While Angela tries to host a perfect evening, Joe openly antagonizes the neighbors, who are actually impressed by his honesty. The night takes a turn when Pina and Hawk reveal they host sex parties, a revelation that titillates both Joe and Angela. The neighbors invite the couple to join them, but after a series of mishaps—including a physical injury and a tense standoff—the group is forced to confront their personal lives. Pina, a psychotherapist, helps the couple realize they have not had sex in a year and are staying together only for their daughter. The film ends with Joe and Angela deciding to separate, and the two finally find a moment of connection playing music together in their apartment.
- First release year
- 2026
- Runtime (minutes)
- 107
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Olivia Wilde
- Writers
- Will McCormack · screenplay; Rashida Jones · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Seth Rogen · Joe; Olivia Wilde · Angela; Penélope Cruz · Pina; Edward Norton · Hawk
- Genres
- sex comedy; drama
- Themes
- marriage; sex
- Tone and mood
- comedy; drama
- Premise and plot tags
- romance; neighborly relations; dinner party
- Source material / true-story basis
- The People Upstairs (Sentimental)
- Content notes
- sex
- Reception
- The film received positive reviews and was described as a 'genuinely funny and uncommonly intelligent comedy for adults' and 'marvelously entertaining'.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 82 · scale: 100 · review count: 47; PostTrak · score: 89% · scale: percentage
- Production trivia
- The film is a remake of the 2020 Spanish film The People Upstairs.; The film was shot in 23 days in chronological order.; The monologue delivered by Edward Norton's character was written by Norton himself.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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