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Olivia Wilde’s The Invite Wins Strong Reviews as It Prepares for Wide Release

Set for nationwide release July 10, the rehearsal-led single-location dramedy has earned praise for its performances, production design, Devonté Hynes’s score, with Wilde calling it a craft-focused reset plus teasing a new directing project.

Overview

  • The Invite, directed by and starring Olivia Wilde with Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz and Edward Norton, opened in select U.S. theaters and will expand nationwide on July 10.
  • Critics have given broadly positive reviews, highlighting the film’s chamber dynamics, ensemble performances and strong early festival buzz including Sundance praise.
  • Wilde and her collaborators rehearsed for weeks and filmed sequentially on 35mm in a single San Francisco apartment to encourage improvisation and character discovery.
  • Composer Devonté Hynes’s score and careful production design are cited as active storytelling elements that shape the film’s tense, comic and emotional tone.
  • Wilde has publicly framed The Invite as a creative reset after earlier controversy, has discussed therapy and personal ties to the material, and has said a new directing project will start soon.