Olivia Wilde Turns Heads at ‘The Invite’ SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversation

Olivia Wilde showed up to the SAG-AFTRA Foundation Conversations event for ‘The Invite’ looking relaxed and unhurried, a demeanor that mirrors the critical reception her new film has been generating ever since it sent Sundance into a standing ovation earlier this year.

Wilde was joined by co-star Penélope Cruz, the director and actress appears to be riding a moment of genuine creative momentum.

‘The Invite’ is an A24 comedy directed by Wilde and written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, based on the Spanish film ‘The People Upstairs’ by Cesc Gay. It stars Seth Rogen and Wilde as Joe and Angela, a couple whose marriage has hit a rough patch, who invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbors, played by Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton, over for a dinner party that quickly spirals in unexpected directions. The film is scheduled for limited theatrical release on June 26, with a wide expansion on July 10.

Critical response has been warmly enthusiastic, with the film sitting at 92 percent on Rotten Tomatoes based on 36 reviews and a Metacritic score of 77. Critics have drawn comparisons to ‘Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf,’ with reviewers calling it genuinely funny, uncommonly intelligent, and one of the more rewarding adult comedies in recent years.

The ensemble itself carries significant awards pedigree. Edward Norton and Penélope Cruz are both four-time Oscar nominees, with Cruz winning for ‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona,’ while Seth Rogen earned four Emmy wins for ‘The Studio.’ Wilde previously won an Independent Spirit Award for directing ‘Booksmart’ and received the Graffetta d’Oro at Venice for ‘Don’t Worry Darling.’

The film was shot in just 23 days in chronological order, primarily in Los Angeles with two days of location work in San Francisco, and was scored by Dev Hynes. It is dedicated to Diane Keaton. That kind of stripped-down, purposeful production approach seems to have fed directly into the intimacy and spontaneity that critics have praised so consistently.

Wilde told The Hollywood Reporter ahead of Sundance that the project felt like the kind of creative experience she had always hoped to find, describing it as “a movie that would just allow a group of creative people to come together and actually, truly collaborate.”

A24 acquired the film in a bidding war after its Sundance premiere, a sign of how strongly the distributor believed in its commercial and awards potential. With a buzzy ensemble, a 92 percent critical score, and an A24 banner, ‘The Invite’ is arriving at exactly the right moment for a director who has plenty to prove and, by every available indication, the film to prove it with.

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