Soufflé is for dinner but much more is on the table in Olivia Wilde’s deliciously entertaining chamber comedy, “The Invite,” about a couple whose marriage is on the rocks invite their upstairs neighbors over for an impromptu get-together.Such a gathering is, of course, a standby setup of stage and screen, alike. Faster than I can say “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” you can probably predict some of where “The Invite” is going: a spread of quips, come-ons and marital catharsis all served on a tidy, single-setting plate. But even if you can sometimes feel the gears turning in “The Invite,” it’s cunningly syncopated and cleverly acted enough to make it a welcome, modern twist on the drawing-room comedy of manners. Unlike the dinner served in the film though, it’s baked to near-perfection.This is Wilde’s third film as a director, and because of her apparent grasp of the material, it’s her best. She started promisingly with the high school comedy “Booksmart.” But her ambitious follow-up, “Don’t Worry Darling,” was a clunky, overcooked disappointment. Comedy may be more in her wheelhouse. Besides, it’s Wilde’s brilliantly comic performance that sets “The Invite” apart.
In the movie’s opening moments, Joe (Seth Rogen) and his wife, Angela (Wilde), make very different ways home to their San Francisco apartment. Joe, an associate professor at a so-so music conservatory, schleps up the city’s hills on a foldable bike while Angela stylishly picks flowers and food from the market.
