The Invite: A Gripping, Uncomfortable Dinner Worth Attending

Some films are meant to be enjoyed, and some are meant to be sat with. The Invite is the second kind, and I think that's by design.

Olivia Wilde's dinner-party film lives in a tricky space between dark comedy and something much heavier. The laughs are there, but they sit alongside a steady sense of dread that makes it a genuinely challenging watch. That challenge isn't a flaw in the writing, acting, or camera work. It's the whole point of the film.

The cast is excellent, and the direction keeps a mostly contained setting tense and alive. It held my attention the whole way through, even at the moments when I half wanted to look away.

I walked out with mixed feelings, and I mean that as a compliment to how effective it is. Go in expecting something closer to a drama with teeth than a comedy with a twist, and you'll get a lot out of it.