Seth Rogen, left, and Olivia Wilde pose for a portrait in Los Angeles to promote their film "The Invite" on Sunday, May 31, 2026. (Photo by Rebecca Cabage/Invision/AP)

The key to enjoying director and star Olivia Wilde’s “The Invite” will be in the audience’s ability and willingness to just go with it, as a classic comedy scenario stretches into unpredictable territory.

Wilde and Seth Rogen star as Angela and Joe, a couple in an unsteady relationship, plagued by Joe’s unhappiness as a music teacher and Angela’s obsession with purchasing used furniture. Angela invites the new neighbors, Pina and Hawk (played by Penelope Cruz and Edward Norton), for an overdue welcoming dinner. The problem is that Joe is resentful of the loud noises (of the bedroom intimacy variety) coming from Pina and Hawk’s apartment and refuses to hide his contempt during dinner. Then there’s the new neighbors themselves, who also have some crazy secrets that will be revealed over the course of a wild night.

A big hit at this Sundance Film Festival in January and a welcome contrast to all the current summer event movies (opening on no less than the same weekend as Disney’s live action remake of “Moana”), Wilde has really come up with something. The overall result will likely inspire some diverse reactions, but adventurous filmgoers in search of a sharp comedy will be grateful.

The screenplay by actors Rashida Jones and Will McCormack uses the approach of Edward Albee’s “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” (both the 1962 Broadway play and Mike Nichols’ 1966 film), in that there are only four characters, and both films have parallel conclusions. Another similarity is that the film’s overall enjoyment depends on how much you enjoy these characters — some will embrace the caustic comedy and profane one-liners, while others may bolt early on.

Wilde’s performance is the one that visibly pushes the hardest, which often works for the material, but she’s been better and more grounded in other films. Rogen excels the most in the film’s later stretch, though he’s very funny doing what we expect from his screen persona. Cruz and Norton, on the other hand, are spectacular, as the latter dials into a suave, Clooney-esque persona with surprising layers.

Cruz, who is one of the best actresses of her generation, has some extraordinary moments throughout and digs into both the dramatic and comic potential of her role. The vast differences between Joe and Hawk are especially funny, both in the extreme natures of the characters and the way Rogen and Norton play off one another.

Some scenes are framed in self-consciously artsy ways that call attention to themselves, though the most unwelcome touch is the obtrusive score by Devonté Hynes. Instead of trusting the audience to take the tonal leaps with the characters, the music needlessly stomps its way through the emotional peaks of too many scenes. Had the entire film been without a score and simply powered by four actors in a single setting, it would have worked even better.

Wilde is returning to directing after her intriguing but unsteady, gossip plagued hit, “Don’t Worry Darling” (2022). “Booksmart,” Wilde’s 2019 directorial debut, is much better and matches her latest as an effectively edgy comedy driven by exceptional performances.

Based on Cesc Gay’s Spanish play and film “The People Upstairs” (the Spanish title translates to “Sentimental”), Wilde has managed to shape an adaptation that mostly avoids staginess, no small feat. Nevertheless, despite the frequent laughter heard at the screening I attended, I suspect this material is even funnier to witness as a stage production.

“The Invite” initially seems like it only has sex in mind for comic material but digs deeper and offers some welcome insight on what makes a good couple. If that sounds worthwhile, then this may be the unorthodox date movie you’re looking for.

There’s a boldness and true beauty to the final moment, which is unforced and comes across as the perfect closer. No spoilers here, but the ending is so good, it makes the rougher patches in the second act worth enduring. Yet, if memories of Sandy Dennis screaming at Elizabeth Taylor in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” are cringeworthy, then watching Dwayne Johnson play Maui in the flesh might be the preferable alternative after all.

(2.5 out of 4 stars)

Barry Wurst II is the founder of the Hawaii Film Critics Society and teaches film classes at University of Hawaii Maui College.