The Invite
The modern search for fulfilment
28 Jun 2026 
Russ Matthews Some films exist to entertain, while others are designed to provoke uncomfortable conversations. The Invite falls squarely into the second category. Olivia Wilde continues to establish herself as a filmmaker unafraid to tackle controversial social issues, delivering a relationship drama that is witty, confronting and filled with strong performances. Yet for all its clever dialogue and compelling character work, the film ultimately struggles beneath the weight of its own moral ambitions.
The story follows a seemingly ordinary gathering of neighbours that slowly becomes an examination of marriage, commitment and sexual freedom. As long-held assumptions are challenged, the evening exposes cracks in relationships that have remained hidden beneath closed doors.
Wilde directs with confidence, drawing strong performances from her ensemble cast and allowing humour and tension to exist side by side. The screenplay asks worthwhile questions. What does commitment really look like? Can marriage evolve beyond traditional expectations? Is personal fulfilment more important than faithfulness?
Unfortunately, while the questions are compelling, the answers are less convincing. As the evening unfolds, the film increasingly normalises polyamorous relationships, open marriages and infidelity as acceptable responses to dissatisfaction. It presents these ideas thoughtfully, but offers little reflection on the emotional or spiritual consequences that often follow.
This places The Invite in similar territory to Good Luck to You, Leo Grande. Both films encourage important conversations about intimacy and relationships, yet both arrive at conclusions that differ significantly from a biblical understanding of marriage and sexuality. There is no denying Wilde’s ability as a director. She continues to draw nuanced performances from her cast and crafts a screenplay that holds the audience’s attention throughout. Even so, Reel Dialogue cannot endorse the worldview the film ultimately promotes.
REEL DIALOGUE: Is marriage ours to redefine?
One of the strengths of The Invite is that it refuses to shy away from difficult conversations. Marriage, intimacy and faithfulness are subjects worth discussing, particularly in a culture where definitions continue to change.
The issue is not that the film asks these questions. The challenge lies in the answers it embraces.
The Bible presents marriage as more than a personal arrangement. It is a covenant established by God, built on faithfulness, sacrifice and lifelong commitment. Jesus reaffirmed this when he said:
“Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.”
Matthew 19:4–6
Whether people agree with Jesus’ teaching or not, his words continue to offer a vision of marriage that has shaped lives for centuries. The Invite invites audiences to question those boundaries. The Bible invites us to consider whether those boundaries exist not to limit love, but to protect it.
Where to look for more details: Matthew 19:4–6; Genesis 2:24; Ephesians 5:21–33; Hebrews 13:4
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About Russ Matthews
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