--- title: "The Invite: the reviews" canonical: "https://film.one/film/the-invite/reviews" title_page: "https://film.one/film/the-invite" critics_score: 83 critics_reviews: 20 licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # The Invite (2026): what the critics said Critics' score 83 from 20 reviews: 18 positive, 2 mixed, 0 negative. ## Little White Lies — Savina Petkova Rating 4/5/4. 29 June 2026. A star-driven chamber piece about a strained couple hosting their sexually adventurous neighbours for dinner, updating the partner-swap comedy. It delivers a roaring poly-rom-com where the joke lands on the monogamists. [Read the review](https://lwlies.com/reviews/the-invite) ## Radio Times — Rosie Fletcher Rating 5/5. 2 July 2026. A hilarious yet poignant study of marital dissolution, with Wilde and Rogen as the fraying hosts and Norton and Cruz as the glamorous, uninhibited neighbours. The razor-sharp script and four extraordinary lead performances drive the rich, keenly observed comedy. [Read the review](https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/the-invite-review/) ## The Times Rating ★★★★★. 30 June 2026. Olivia Wilde directs and stars in a side-splittingly funny sex comedy about a raunchy dinner party that turns into partner-swapping. It features dazzling zingers, personal excavation and an award-worthy lead performance from Wilde as the frustrated wife. [Read the review](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/the-invite-review-olivia-wilde-is-award-worthy-in-her-dazzling-sex-comedy-p0l32z8kv) ## Empire — Alex Godfrey Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 22 June 2026. The critic calls it a very tense and funny comedy of manners that is also a sad, incisive study of a failing marriage. They single out the perfectly cast ensemble and the naturalism of the overlapping dialogue and improvised ripostes for praise. [Read the review](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/the-invite/) ## Los Angeles Times — Mark Olsen Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 25 June 2026. The critic praises Wilde’s confident direction in exploring contemporary coupledom through a dinner party that goes entertainingly wrong or right. He singles out the strong ensemble work, especially from Seth Rogen, Penélope Cruz, and Edward Norton, and calls it one of her most cohesive films. [Read the review](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2026-06-25/la-et-invite-review-olivia-wilde-seth-rogen-penelope-cruz-edward-norton-a24) ## Variety — Owen Gleiberman Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 25 July 2026. The critic calls the bravura dinner-party dramedy a film that keeps you laughing and never stops surprising, likening it to Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? remade as vintage Woody Allen. He praises the script, direction, and the way the four actors connect and collide. [Read the review](https://variety.com/2026/film/reviews/the-invite-review-olivia-wilde-seth-rogen-1236640161/) ## Evening Standard — Maddy Mussen Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 2 July 2026. The critic praises Wilde as a skilled director and calls the film truly great for its ending that reframes the story beautifully. They single out Penélope Cruz’s masterclass monologue for forcing serious soul-searching in audiences. [Read the review](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/the-invite-olivia-wilde-seth-rogan-review-b1288530.html) ## The Guardian Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 30 June 2026. The film is a four-way sex comedy of embarrassment adapted from a Spanish stageplay, with Seth Rogen providing levity and bite as the grumpy husband. It is intriguing, amusing and finally bizarrely moving in its satire of middle-class married life. [Read the review](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2026/jun/30/the-invite-review-seth-rogen-olivia-wilde-penelope-cruz-edward-norton) ## The New Yorker — Justin Chang Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 19 June 2026. The critic describes the film as a witty relationship comedy in which an evening of refreshments and recriminations leads to an intriguing proposition among two couples. He highlights its tart, unflattering view of matrimony and its chamber-piece structure confined to one apartment. [Read the review](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/06/29/the-invite-movie-review) ## The Telegraph — Tim Robey Rating 4/5. 3 July 2026. The Invite is a hilarious and frisky adult sex comedy about two couples unearthing secrets during one boozy night. Wilde's strongest directorial effort to date, it lets the stars shine in a swinger-party tale that is the next best thing to a stage production. [Read the review](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2026/07/03/invite-review-olivia-wilde/) ## Time Out — Phil de Semlyen Rating 4/5. 4 June 2026. Wilde's return to form is a daring, fall-off-your-chair funny sex comedy with a stellar cast finding alchemy in awkward neighbourly dynamics. It transplants a Spanish original to San Francisco with rich lineage references and sharp performances. [Read the review](https://www.timeout.com/movies/the-invite-review-2026) ## Vulture Fi1m's normalised score 50/100 (inferred from the text). 26 June 2026. The chamber comedy has some solid laughs and strong individual performances but feels manufactured, baggy and tonally inconsistent, with characters that never quite cohere. [Read the review](https://www.vulture.com/article/the-invite-review-occasionally-funny-but-thats-about-it.html) ## Film Comment — Alana Pockros 23 July 2026. The critic finds Wilde redeems herself with a witty and sincere exploration of the perils of heterosexual coupling and midlife marriage. She singles out the warm, endearing performance of Penélope Cruz as the psychotherapist neighbor who helps the central couple realize their problems go beyond sex. [Read the review](https://www.filmcomment.com/article/twos-a-crowd-the-invite-olivia-wilde-review/) ## IndieWire — Kate Erbland 22 June 2026. Wilde delivers a crackling, wildly entertaining dinner-party comedy with unpredictable chemistry among the four leads that has plenty to say about marriage, love and life. [Read the review](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/the-invite-review-olivia-wilde-1235174788/) ## Sight and Sound 3 February 2026. Festival review. Wilde's third feature is a contained marital sex comedy set in one apartment over one night, with strong ensemble interplay from Rogen, Cruz, Norton and Wilde herself. It aims for a bittersweet note but keeps stakes within the living room dynamic. [Read the review](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/invite-discomfort-served-olivia-wildes-bittersweet-sex-comedy) ## The Hollywood Reporter — David Rooney 25 January 2026. Festival review. The chamber piece is a smart, sophisticated adult entertainment that savages marriage with incisively acted ensemble work, especially from Seth Rogen, though it runs too long and occasionally feels theatrical. [Read the review](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/the-invite-review-olivia-wilde-seth-rogen-penelope-cruz-1236484375/) ## The New York Times — Alissa Wilkinson Rating Critic’s Pick. 25 June 2026. The critic finds the film a witty comedy about a millennial couple whose tense marriage receives a jolt from their neighbors during a dinner party. She singles out Seth Rogen’s revelatory performance for praise while noting occasional false notes in the script and Wilde’s portrayal. [Read the review](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/25/movies/the-invite-movie-review-seth-rogen-olivia-wilde.html) ## Den of Geek — David Crow Rating 5/5. 25 June 2026. The critic calls it a shimmering dramedy for adults and a beguiling sex comedy that is the event of the summer. He singles out the luminous screenplay and excellent performances, especially Seth Rogen’s portrayal of a tired, self-involved husband. [Read the review](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/the-invite-review-olivia-wilde-sex-comedy/) ## The Wrap Fi1m's normalised score 90/100 (inferred from the text). 24 January 2026. Festival review. The critic hails the film as an uproarious, deeply felt and impeccably crafted chamber piece that is Wilde’s best directorial work to date. The whip-smart script and natural rhythm among the four lead performers are singled out for praise. [Read the review](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/the-invite-review-olivia-wilde-seth-rogen-movie/) ## Deadline — Glenn Garner Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 24 January 2026. Festival review. The critic praises the film as a whip-smart marital comedy that explores sex and relationships with raw and endearing honesty. Wilde and Rogen are singled out for nailing the comedic timing and lived-in tension of their bickering couple. [Read the review](https://deadline.com/2026/01/the-invite-review-olivia-wilde-marital-comedy-sundance-1236690975/) ## /Film — Bill Bria Fi1m's normalised score 85/100 (inferred from the text). 29 January 2026. Festival review. The critic hails it as a spectacular comeback for Wilde, a witty and emotional adult comedy with strong performances and direction that captures overlapping dialogue like Altman. [Read the review](https://www.slashfilm.com/2087904/olivia-wilde-the-invite-dont-worry-darling-comeback-sundance/) ## Collider — Ross Bonaime Rating 8/10. 28 January 2026. Festival review. The critic calls it a welcome return to form for Wilde after Don't Worry Darling, with the right tone for big laughs alongside emotional depth in a character-focused dramedy. They single out the fantastic four-person ensemble, especially Seth Rogen, and Wilde's skillful direction of the one-set premise. [Read the review](https://collider.com/the-invite-movie-review-seth-rogen-olivia-wilde-edward-norton-penelope-cruz-sundance/) ## Eye for Film — Andrew Robertson Fi1m's normalised score 80/100 (inferred from the text). 10 July 2026. The critic praises Wilde's assured direction, gorgeous framing, and the film's timeless quality and craft in its chamber play setup about two couples' dinner party gone awry. [Read the review](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/the-invite-2026-film-review-by-andrew-robertson) ## NME — James Mottram Rating 4/5. 2 July 2026. The critic praises it as a shrewd, savage and frequently hilarious take on coupledom that is wincingly accurate. He singles out the wonderfully written piece and the four actors at the top of their game in a contained setting. [Read the review](https://www.nme.com/reviews/film-reviews/the-invite-review-olivie-wilde-seth-rogen-3954633) ## The Playlist — Marshall Shaffer Rating C. 26 January 2026. Festival review. The critic finds the film overly calculated and lacking organic substance despite its talented cast and crew; it feels like prestige filmmaking without the depth. [Read the review](https://theplaylist.net/the-invite-review-rsvp-maybe-to-olivia-wildes-scaled-down-directorial-comeback-bid-sundance-20260126/) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Our review: https://film.one/film/the-invite.md