Esther Perel Advised Olivia Wilde on 'The Invite' as Film Expands Nationwide July 10
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 8
Esther Perel Advised Olivia Wilde on 'The Invite' as Film Expands Nationwide July 10
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 8
Summary
Esther Perel, 67, consulted Olivia Wilde on the sexual dynamics and marital tension at the center of “The Invite,” which opened strongly last month and widens nationwide on July 10.
Wilde, 42, said the therapist helped shape both the script’s language and how the film conveyed relationship ideas without sounding preachy or canned.
Perel said the comedy explores couples trapped in “chronic low-intensity warfare,” following a longtime marriage pushed to the brink by sexually adventurous neighbors at a dinner party.
The collaboration also drew on a longer relationship: Wilde said Perel, whom she saw as a patient in her 20s, had already influenced her personal understanding of relationships.