It’s mostly a good sign when audiences let out a collective sigh as the intermission lights pop up, indicating they’ve not only warmed up to a film, but are also invested in what comes next. Especially for foreign films in Indian theatres, which abruptly cut mid-scene depending on the whims of the multiplex one is in. In my screening of Olivia Wilde’s The Invite, it happened just as a character was about to explain the ‘protocol’ for sex parties he’s been hosting with his wife. Wilde’s third directorial feature begins with an epigram by Oscar Wilde: “One should always be in love. And that’s why one should never marry.” Featuring two couples, inside a suburban apartment in San Francisco rallying ideas, thoughts, preferences over most of the 108-minute runtime, the evening simmers into something neither will forget soon.Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela’s (Olivia Wilde) happily-ever-after isn’t quite what was promised. After his career as a professional musician didn’t take off, and he had to take up the role of an associate instructor at a little-known music conservatory, Joe is marinating in his self-pity. Angela, on the other hand, having made little to no use of her Art degree, is confined to their marriage as a lonely homemaker. She desperately seeks the validation of others, which we glean from how she excels in overthinking the most mundane things. Their marriage, once lovely, has devolved into something unpleasant.When he comes home one evening, she tells him their upstairs (slightly hippie) neighbours are coming home for dinner. He doesn’t want any part of that, but she’s too far ahead with the plan — arranging an expansive charcuterie board with cheese and prosciutto, popping a champagne bottle from New Year’s, even baking them a souffle. For Angela, this invitation is an escape from her joyless domesticity. The neighbours’ raging sex-lives, which has become a nuisance for them, is also a subject of intrigue for Angela. She mentions the woman’s orgasms more than once, which they and their adolescent daughter have overheard . Joe hates the neighbours, finding them obnoxious and inconsiderate. Angela is a people-pleaser, Joe couldn’t bother to hide his annoyance even in front of them.It’s this tension in the room that becomes the fuel for Wilde’s film. Joe and Angela are functional as a couple, but there’s much deep-seated animosity peeking every now and then. There’s the tension between Joe and the neighbours: Hawk (Edward Norton) and Pina (Penelope Cruz). Then, there’s the tension between Angela and within herself. If the guests prefer anything apart from what she has dutifully planned, Angela takes it as a personal failure as a host. There’s snark, passive-aggression, self-flagellation, and a few surprising secrets unspooled over the evening.A screengrab from the trailer of ‘The Invite.’Written by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, the film is an adaptation of Spanish film, Sentimental (2020). I haven’t seen the original, so I’m unaware of the American-ised choices in this version. But the sophistication of its European source material becomes evident routinely, as situations of moral ambiguity are handled with a deft hand. Along with that, there’s the cheeky banter between the four characters – as the film tests the limits of bourgeois civility and modern-day fidelity.It’s equal parts awkward, cringe and wish-fulfilment. There are indications about where the film is headed, when Joe asks Pina how she knew her first marriage (before she met Hawk) was over. However, before we reach that destination of that marital tragedy, there are a couple of wild detours. Especially one, where Hawk and Pina are forthcoming with their apology for the disturbance with their sexual noises. The second is an unusual proposal.A screengrab from the trailer of ‘The Invite.’A large part of the film’s landing relies on the solidity of its four actors. Wilde, also directing here, is very funny as the high-strung Angela, whose life hangs by a shrug or a compliment from her guests. As someone who is unkind to herself, as Angela, Wilde seems to be channeling part of her discontent as an artist. Cruz is reliably funny as a liberated woman, completely opposite of Angela; secure in her own skin, and in touch with her desires. Norton is hilarious at spoofing his image as a ‘serious actor’, something he’s done earlier too in films like Birdman (2014). As Hawk, a retired firefighter, he becomes the source of unexpected laughs, and a rare sombre moment. The film, however, belongs to Seth Rogen’s Joe: the fumbling, cynical stoner, who has buried all his joys six feet under. But who also eventually reveals the fun guy Angela married once upon a time.The Invite is a sophisticated comedy satirising conventional notions of courtesy, and the performance of courtesy. Through all the raucous laughter and cheeky banter, the film eventually reaches its destination of a tragic marriage story. All the talkiness of the film’s first hundred minutes stand in direct contrast with the loud silences of the last ten minutes. Their racy neighbours might have put them on course to have a conversation they should have had eons ago. Wilde’s directing career began with the bawdy, fun Booksmart (2019), followed up by the unfortunately scattered Don’t Worry Darling (2022). With The Invite, Wilde reaffirms her distinct directorial voice, always prioritising the material. As the film ended with an impromptu piano performance, I saw someone capably conducting her orchestra to offer this often exciting, ultimately wistful symphony.*The Invite is playing in theatres.