POPCORN REVIEWSS

An official adaptation of the 2020 Spanish film The People Upstairs, and written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, the single setting of The Invite remains a perfect recipe for a palpable disaster waiting to happen. In an alternate world, it would translate into a closed door murder mystery, or simply a night filled with secrets unravelling at regular junctures. But the tone employed here is of a searing comedy – something that could potentially extend to most married couples suffering from a communication crisis. In fact, the setting doubles up as a medium of claustrophobia too (in this case : a marriage) that instantly gives the characters a feeling of being ‘trapped’ – only for one of them to ‘invite’ an external influence as a ray of hope.

The characterization remains the key driving point of the narrative. While Joe is a failed musician, and quietly living a supposedly ‘failed’ life of a music teacher – he is quick to point a sexist flaw in his wife Angela, by asking her on what does she do the entire day at home. In another, he ridicules the condition of a menopause by plugging in a joke – something while increasingly coming off as a chauvinist. The same holds true for him cracking a joke at the most inappropriate place, when a character in his vulnerable moment is narrating the story behind his self-employed name. If you look closer, it remains his inability to comprehend the situation that he finds himself in – something that a character defines as something that many people would die for.

On the other hand, Angela remains a secluded character (you witness the lack of confidence in her frequent stutters, and the need to be politically correct without hurting anyone involved), lacking a spark in her life despite the presence of her husband and daughter. In a scene, she is quick to reminiscent of her first meeting with Joe at a nightclub – something that made her feel fresh and alive (enough to run 11 blocks to meet him), while only holding onto the same as her lone memory. Not only does she lack intimacy in her daily routine, but life has almost come to a monotonous standstill – to the point that she is now willing to befriend strangers as an escape mechanism. Ironically, she also buys into the idea of swapping partners at the first instance, almost willingly agreeing to barter her loyalty for the ‘freshness’ and ‘excitement’ in her relationship.

Both Pina (Penelope Cruz) and Hawk (Edward Norton) may appear to be ultra-liberated individuals, who would challenge the conventional norms of happiness for the society. In fact in an alternate world, the characters would appear are therapists or counsellors to couples – a trace of which you sense, during their individual interactions with Joe and Angela. But the subtext to their liberal character trait remains an after-effect of their previous lives – wherein both characters have had a dark past involving failed relationships. And therefore, their idea of happiness isn’t confined to the norms of the society, nor is it confined to loyalty – even as you witness the couple inviting the protagonists for a night filled with passion and k*nk (in the most open manner possible).

The proceedings are often laced with dollops of dry (and ‘wet’ 😉) humour, while maintaining a layer of k*nk as an underlying layer. The subtext remains on how intimacy could be the first step in bringing couples closer – with the exception that they need not be interlinked with loyalty or monogamy. It remains a specific instance of reviving the spark in life, something that would keep relationships healthy without compartmentalizing it with the baggage of love to begin with. And while this philosophy holds true for Pina and Hawk – you mildly witness the hesitance in Joe and Angela, who buy into the idea without fully committing to the philosophy.

The events offer a profound commentary on the idea of love and intimacy, particularly as viewed through the gaze of Joe and Angela. For the duo, intimacy remains the first door of navigating towards emotional infidelity – even as both of these traits have evaporated over the years in a sparkless marriage. In a scene when it is disclosed that the couple haven’t been intimate with each other in over a year – it reaffirms these traits or rather, the lack of them.

And yet, the finale involving the couple reclaiming their emotional core while playing the piano – it is a reminder that intimacy may not always be physical but also emotional, even as the couple draw inspiration from their past to create a sliver of a spark that ignites a sense of hope for their relationship. The screenplay is layered, and wonderfully penned while having profound streaks sandwiched between unfiltered moments of laughter.