The Invite (2026)

Content by Tony Macklin. Originally published on September 29, 2026 @ tonymacklin.net.

How can I write this review of The Invite without using the word "fuck"?

I can't.

The Invite is an adaptation of a Spanish movie and play The People Upstairs (2020). The American adaptation was directed by Olivia Wilde and written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones.

The American screenplay uses the word "fuck" ad nauseum. In a two-minute sequence before the opening title, the word "fucking" is used 10 times. In the film it's used over and over and over and over again. It dominates the dialogue. But it's not bold. It's lazy, cliched, and tiresome.

In 1948 Norman Mailer had to use a euphemism "fug" in his novel The Naked and the Dead.

In his plays in the 1970s David Mamet used "fuck" often to capture actual language. He made a breakthrough.

But this is 2026.

It's as though the writers of The Invite were recruited from X (Twitter), where crudity rules. Even the many intelligent people I follow use "shit" and "fucking" in every comment.

I'm not averse to using the word on occasion. At my Fantasy Football auction, I used the word. It got a big reaction. It was the only time I used the word that night.

What has happened to language? It's been debased. How many experts on tv regularly use "I mean" and "You know"? Don't they listen to themselves? One tv commercial has been on for more than a year that misspells the word "unstopable," but they never changed. They don't care.

The Invite stars major actors - Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton. How many ways can the actors yell "fucking"? They're talented, but the dialogue does not serve them well.

The direction by Olivia Wilde is nondescript. She's getting praise for her concept, not for execution.

The last spoken word during the final credits is "shit."

Is Olivia commenting on her film?