{"id":3121,"date":"2026-06-27T16:35:39","date_gmt":"2026-06-27T16:35:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3121"},"modified":"2026-06-27T16:35:39","modified_gmt":"2026-06-27T16:35:39","slug":"why-a24-should-treat-olivia-wildes-the-invite-as-a-major-oscar-contender","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3121","title":{"rendered":"Why A24 Should Treat Olivia Wilde\u2019s \u2018The Invite\u2019 as a Major Oscar Contender"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n<\/p>\n
\n

\n\tOscar voters\u2026don\u2019t forget to RSVP to \u201cThe Invite.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe Invite,\u201d Olivia Wilde\u2018s third feature as a director and the most sleek and assured work of her career behind the camera, is an indie film with a lot to say. Oscar voters shouldn\u2019t be afraid to listen. A24, the distributor that bought the film out of Sundance, has a real decision to make. Does it treat \u201cThe Invite\u201d like a summer fling or like the awards player it plainly can be?<\/p>\n

Read more Box Office: \u2018Supergirl\u2019 Flies to $18 Million on Opening Day<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tThe second option is clearly, the right one.<\/p>\n

\n\tWhen \u201cThe Invite\u201d premiered at Sundance in January, it drew an enthusiastic standing ovation, not always a given in Park City, where the air is too thin and too cold for that kind of thing. It then led to a multiday bidding war, which A24 won for a reported $12 million.<\/p>\n

\n\tAn English-language remake of the 2020 Spanish film \u201cThe People Upstairs\u201d by Cesc Gay, the film tells the story of Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Wilde), a long-married San Francisco couple fraying at the seams, who invite their magnetic upstairs neighbors Hawk (Edward Norton) and Pina (Pen\u00e9lope Cruz) down for dinner, and the evening detonates.<\/p>\n

\nVariety\u2019s <\/em>chief film critic Owen Gleiberman compared it to a modern-day \u201cWho\u2019s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?\u201d in his review, and critics across the board reached for the same lineage. It\u2019s an earned comparison, but what Wilde\u2019s film does almost defies the impossible: It stays funny while it draws blood. That\u2019s something industry voters can respond to in this modern Oscar era.<\/p>\n

\n\tWilde has never directed with so much control.<\/p>\n

\n\tShe turned some heads with her 2019 directorial debut \u201cBooksmart,\u201d which picked up a bit of awards recognition on the circuit with nominations in places like the WGA and BAFTA Awards for original screenplay (Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, Katie Silberman) and the Golden Globes for best actress (musical or comedy) for Beanie Feldstein. Her next behind-the-camera effort, \u201cDon\u2019t Worry Darling,\u201d didn\u2019t fare as well with critics. But both of her previous features have been profitable, with \u201cBooksmart\u201d earning $25 million globally on a $6 million budget and \u201cDon\u2019t Worry Darling\u201d earning $88 million on a $30 million budget.<\/p>\n

\n\tWith \u201cThe Invite,\u201d she gets to stretch herself as a filmmaker and an actor. The whole picture unfolds in one apartment across one night, and she stages it like a chamber piece that refuses to remain stage-bound, working through mirrors and doorways. It is also her best performance as an actor since the indie drama \u201cMeadowland\u201d in 2015. As Angela, she is raw, self-deceiving and yet very funny, never once letting the director\u2019s hand shake her actor\u2019s nerve.<\/p>\n

\n\tHowever, the engine underneath it all is the crackling script by Rashida Jones and Will McCormack, who first showed their magic together co-writing the indie rom-com \u201cCeleste and Jesse Forever.\u201d McCormack later won an Oscar for the animated short \u201cIf Anything Happens I Love You,\u201d which he co-directed with Michael Govier. Reunited here, he and Jones deliver their finest hour yet. The dialogue crackles like a live wire, the structure merciless and quick-witted, as energetic as something we might have seen Aaron Sorkin pen. The laughs never stop coming, and in a season that will reward originals and adaptations alike, this is the writing voters will remember when casting their ballots in January.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut even a great script can be lost without the right actors attached, and thank God for this foursome.<\/p>\n

Read more K. Bhagyaraj, Prolific Tamil Cinema Writer-Director-Actor, Dies at 73<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tRogen delivers his best acting work on film since \u201cSteve Jobs\u201d (perhaps of his career), trading his usual slouch for a bruised, genuinely evolving performance. Long gone are the days when he\u2019s merely the stoner from \u201cPineapple Express\u201d and \u201cKnocked Up.\u201d And while still a \u201crecreational user\u201d in this film, he delivers his lines with bite. If the film keeps picking up steam and breaks out into the cultural zeitgeist, and if he comes off his history-making Emmys haul for the first season of the Apple TV comedy \u201cThe Studio,\u201d I wonder if there can be a rallying cry to get the 44-year-old multi-hyphenate his first career Oscar nomination. The Golden Globes, at the bare minimum, could likely take the bait on a performance like his. But perhaps it can go further?<\/p>\n

\n\tFour-time Oscar nominee Norton, cheerful and contemptibly swaggering as Hawk, gives his most vivid screen turn since \u201cBirdman.\u201d And Cruz, as a sex therapist who turns the evening into a confessional, is operating at a level she has not reached since \u201cParallel Mothers,\u201d all serenity and steel. This will be a huge year for the Oscar winner of \u201cVicky Cristina Barcelona\u201d (2008), as she\u2019ll also have the Cannes winner \u201cLa Bola Negra\u201d on Netflix, and Florian Zeller\u2019s next project, \u201cBunker,\u201d alongside her husband, Javier Bardem. It\u2019ll be interesting to see whether the new acting branch amendment, which allows multiple performances to be nominated in the same category, could put her at the front of the line come Oscar season.<\/p>\n

\n\tWith these four actors, there are zero weak links.<\/p>\n

\n\tEvery one of the artisans is essential to the awards case and worthy of a look. The editing by Yorgos Mavropsaridis, Yorgos Lanthimos\u2019 longtime cutter and an Oscar nominee for \u201cThe Favourite\u201d and \u201cPoor Things,\u201d along with co-editor Anthony Boys, gives the movie its palpable energy. They find the comic timing and the emotional whiplash in the same cut. Adam Newport-Berra\u2019s cinematography turns a single set into a visually alive space, using the actors\u2019 faces as canvases for a soulful story. Moreover, Devont\u00e9 Hynes\u2019 score, which is both anxious and playful, does the tonal heavy lifting without ever announcing itself, which is something the music branch can discover and appreciate.<\/p>\n

\n\tI would love to see \u201cThe Invite\u201d become a production design player, too. Jade Healy built an entire San Francisco apartment that functions as a fifth character in the ensemble. Contemporary production design rarely breaks through at the Oscars, where the branch tends to reward period grandeur and fantasy worldbuilding. Some rare exceptions prove how special that recognition is, such as \u201cHer\u201d in 2013 and \u201cThe Father\u201d in 2020. It deserves to join those ranks.<\/p>\n

\n\tNone of this happens on its own. Awards runs for films like this are built from the inside out, not discovered. A24 should know better than anyone how to build one, given how it turned a sci-fi action-comedy with butt plugs and flying dildos into one of the most awarded best picture winners of the modern era in \u201cEverything Everywhere All at Once.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tLike a good party planner, A24 has to get the invites out early and let people fall in love with the unmissable party of the summer (and year).<\/p>\n

Read more Annecy Young Audience Award Winner \u2018Into the Forest\u2019 Finds Freedom Through Imagination<\/a><\/p>\n

\n
\n
\n\t\tSee all Academy Awards predictions\t<\/h5>\n

\n
Variety Awards Circuit: Oscars<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Olivia Wilde’s “The Invite” should be an a major Oscar contender for A24, with its stellar cast, script and team of artisans.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3120,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[2197,107,2596,2597],"class_list":["post-3121","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-film","tag-olivia-wilde","tag-oscars","tag-seth-rogen-2","tag-the-invite"],"yoast_head":"\nWhy A24 Should Treat Olivia Wilde\u2019s \u2018The Invite\u2019 as a Major Oscar Contender - Relocation Observer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3121\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Why A24 Should Treat Olivia Wilde\u2019s \u2018The Invite\u2019 as a Major Oscar Contender - Relocation Observer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Olivia Wilde's "The Invite" should be an a major Oscar contender for A24, with its stellar cast, script and team of artisans.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3121\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Relocation Observer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-27T16:35:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3121#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3121\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e\"},\"headline\":\"Why A24 Should Treat Olivia Wilde\u2019s \u2018The Invite\u2019 as a Major Oscar Contender\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-27T16:35:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3121\"},\"wordCount\":1176,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3121#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/a8976b2f9d85c95518e5b223a9eb1463.webp\",\"keywords\":[\"Olivia Wilde,\",\"Oscars,\",\"Seth Rogen,\",\"The Invite\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Film\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3121#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3121\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3121\",\"name\":\"Why A24 Should Treat Olivia Wilde\u2019s \u2018The Invite\u2019 as a Major Oscar Contender - Relocation Observer\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3121#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3121#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/a8976b2f9d85c95518e5b223a9eb1463.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-27T16:35:39+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3121#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3121\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3121#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/a8976b2f9d85c95518e5b223a9eb1463.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/a8976b2f9d85c95518e5b223a9eb1463.webp\",\"width\":1000,\"height\":563},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?p=3121#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Why A24 Should Treat Olivia Wilde\u2019s \u2018The Invite\u2019 as a Major Oscar Contender\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Relocation Observer\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/relocationobserver.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Why A24 Should Treat Olivia Wilde\u2019s \u2018The Invite\u2019 as a Major Oscar Contender - Relocation Observer","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3121","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Why A24 Should Treat Olivia Wilde\u2019s \u2018The Invite\u2019 as a Major Oscar Contender - Relocation Observer","og_description":"Olivia Wilde's \"The Invite\" should be an a major Oscar contender for A24, with its stellar cast, script and team of artisans.","og_url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3121","og_site_name":"Relocation Observer","article_published_time":"2026-06-27T16:35:39+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3121#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3121"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e"},"headline":"Why A24 Should Treat Olivia Wilde\u2019s \u2018The Invite\u2019 as a Major Oscar Contender","datePublished":"2026-06-27T16:35:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3121"},"wordCount":1176,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3121#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a8976b2f9d85c95518e5b223a9eb1463.webp","keywords":["Olivia Wilde,","Oscars,","Seth Rogen,","The Invite"],"articleSection":["Film"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3121#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3121","url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3121","name":"Why A24 Should Treat Olivia Wilde\u2019s \u2018The Invite\u2019 as a Major Oscar Contender - Relocation Observer","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3121#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3121#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a8976b2f9d85c95518e5b223a9eb1463.webp","datePublished":"2026-06-27T16:35:39+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3121#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3121"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3121#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a8976b2f9d85c95518e5b223a9eb1463.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/a8976b2f9d85c95518e5b223a9eb1463.webp","width":1000,"height":563},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?p=3121#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Why A24 Should Treat Olivia Wilde\u2019s \u2018The Invite\u2019 as a Major Oscar Contender"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/","name":"Relocation Observer","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/#\/schema\/person\/2243ff062b31c5195cd0d9f83884e83e","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/relocationobserver.com"],"url":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3121","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3121"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3121\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3121"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3121"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/relocationobserver.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3121"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}