Always Good Movies

Direction: Olivia Wilde
Country: USA

The Invite, the third directorial feature by Olivia Wilde, who also stars, is a ballsy, raunchy comedy-drama filled with tension and direct, funny lines. The plot, co-written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones (collaborating 14 years after Celeste & Jesse Forever), is an adaptation of the Spanish film The People Upstairs (2021) and focuses on Angela (Wilde), a housewife who frequently forgets to breathe when anxious, and her husband, Joe (Seth Rogen), a frustrated music teacher. Their marriage is irreparably strained, and they definitely need something new and exciting in their lives. That opportunity arrives when Angela invites their noisy, nosy upstairs neighbors, Hawk (Edward Norton) and Pina (Penélope Cruz), a former firefighter and a psychotherapist/sexologist, respectively, to a dinner party.

Complaints, apologies, and unexpected revelations are fueled by joints, tequila, and intense libido. Astonishingly acted by all four actors, this provocative, fast-paced film impresses with the power with which it frames contentions, different points of view, embarrassments, and resolutions. This is finely judged filmmaking by Wilde.

Direction: Olivia Wilde
Country: USA

Teenage agitation and frantic ethos are back in this delicious coming-of-age comedy from actress Olivia Wilde, who excels in her directorial debut. Booksmart is the product of a jointly creative work authored by four female writers: Susanna Fogel, Emily Halpern, Sarah Haskins, and Katie Silberman. Unfolding at a hyperactive pace, this highly entertaining film also serves as a showcase for Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever’s acting capabilities.

After learning about their unpopularity among their school peers, two hugely smart graduating high school students and best friends, Molly (Feldstein) and Amy (Dever), resolve to demonstrate the world that they are not one-dimensional A+ people and that brains are just a little part of their tremendously interesting selves. Consequently, they will do the impossible to stand out at Nick’s end-of-the-year party, but before reaching there, bizarre occurrences make the night impudently eventful due to the company of the eccentric Jared (Skyler Gisondo) and the frenzied Gigi (Billie Lourd).

Expect a drug trip that ends up in obscene doll-related hallucinations, a first-time lesbian sex experience with disastrous results, a serious argument and subsequent poignant reconciliation, an emotional goodbye, and even a funny conversation promptly delivered in Chinese at their most convenience. Everything looks cute with the deft handling of script and camera by Ms. Wilde, whose directorial career starts auspiciously.

At once rebellious and charmer, Booksmart also displays strong technical aspects, including an effective soundtrack with an inclination for hip-hop. Actor/comedian Will Ferrell and director Adam McKay (Vice; The Big Short) were summoned as executive producers, while the casting by Allison Jones (Lady Bird) is brilliant. Without the hypocrisy of its genre-related competitors, this is a refreshing teen movie that bounces with energy and tangy dialogue.