Wilde, Rogen Finalized 'The Invite' Ending During 23-Day Shoot
Updated
Updated · IndieWire · Jul 4
Wilde, Rogen Finalized 'The Invite' Ending During 23-Day Shoot
3 articles · Updated · IndieWire · Jul 4
Summary
Olivia Wilde said she and Seth Rogen kept reworking “The Invite” ending until the last minute, settling during the film’s 23-day chronological shoot on a quieter finale than either the original movie or the script.
That version strips out much of Joe and Angela’s dialogue after they decide their marriage is over, relying instead on silence and Joe’s return to the piano to convey the breakup’s emotional weight.
Wilde said the shift only became clear after the rest of the film was shot, when Piña’s late-scene diagnosis of the couple’s resentment convinced the team that nothing more needed to be said.
The ending grew from Rashida Jones and Will McCormack’s adaptation process, which included a two-week improvisational rehearsal period and continued on set as the cast reshaped the one-location film.
“The Invite,” adapted from Cesc Gay’s “The Neighbors Upstairs” and its 2020 film version “Sentimental,” opened in New York and Los Angeles last week and expands nationwide on July 10.