The Invitation

The Invitation (2015)

Runtime: 100 minutes

Directed by: Karyn Kusama

Starring: Logan Marshall-Green, Tammy Blanchard, Michiel Huisman, Emayatza Corinealdi, Lindsay Burdge

From: Drafthouse Films

Here is a movie I saw that has gotten quite a bit of hype since it came out last year. As happens sometimes with modern films, I did not understand the hype and in fact did not even think the movie was good. I tried to explain why on Letterboxd, which I copied and pasted below: 

I'll be honest here, I am seeing this movie now as I have been putting off posting a Top 10 of 2015 list for WAY too long. I will watch a few candidates then no matter what I'll post the list soon. As this is on Netflix Instant, it was an easy way to see something that a lot of people seem to like.

Although, one reason I still haven't completed a Top 10 list is that I saw a few 2015 films (including yes, Fury Road) which most people loved but left me cold. Sadly, this was another one of those movies. Thankfully I went into this pretty cold, not knowing much besides the general plot description of a guy and his girlfriend getting an invite to a party at his ex-wife's house, then things go wrong... the general idea of the plot was not what I had a problem with; it was the execution... and also, me wanting to execute most of the party-goers! I went in cold, and the movie just left me cold instead of enthralled, excited, or any kind of positive emotion, really.

I don't know about y'all, but I couldn't stand most of the people in the movie. They were just tremendously off-putting and I did not want to spend more than an hour and a half with them, even if that may have been the movie's intention. While the movie nailed the awkward aspect, otherwise this did not do much to excite me. The way the story plays out and is fleshed out, just ridiculous; and you have to go on this languid journey with a bunch of weirdo D-bags that act so inconsistent. I was hoping for more than just strange A-holes who went out of their way to be tools and make you feel uneasy, but I didn't get it.

Unfortunately, this movie also pretty much lulled me to sleep at times. There were some decent moments (after a bad opening act), the adding of some diversity was nice and audience surrogate Will (the guy who was invited to the party) was alright; otherwise, though, I was disappointed with this and how most seem to love it and I was just left feeling “meh” about the whole experience. It was not a journey I enjoyed taking, that is for sure. To use the proper analogy, it was like being at a party filled with vapid cretins-you know, like the ones featured in this film-and you want to leave but whether because of a friend wanting to stay or what have you, you are stuck there... so you end up in a corner finishing a beer, feeling like you are watching grass grow as you'd rather be anywhere else than there.