The Uninvited

When you want to critique Hollywood, you have to do it intimately and not in a gigantic and obscene way like the budgets of summer movies: The Uninvited is a play to keep you close and engaged thanks to a beautifully staged sequence of almost thriller-like setups to surprise you. There are no superheroes, mass murderers, or lovers running through airports, but real people who feel like all of us.

All the characters are charming until real-life problems catch up with them to show that they are vulnerable humans, where there will always be hope. But will everything be too late? That's what each spectator will have to judge.

Beautifully written and acted. Every detail is perfect. Truly amazing performances by every actor. Lois Smith gives an Academy award worthy performance and steals the show. Walter Goggins is uncomfortable and anxious and funny and lovable all at the same time. This is one of the best performances I've seen from Pedro Pascal. I love him in everything, but this role felt so natural for him. I felt every moment of Elizabeth Reaser's pain annd moments of joy. All of the characters are complex and intriguing. The story has many surprises in what appears to be a straightforward movie about a party. I cried and laughed and wished it was longer. We are not.

This film was not what I was expecting. I walked into a comedy and left with my heart in a thousand pieces. Not many films have moved me to tears on that many levels - it was a balanced exchange of wit and woe. Despite being set in the Hollywood Hills, the tensions and conflicts, especially around identify and relationships will resonate deeply with many.

The nuances in the storytelling leave you with a lot to unpack and it's one of those films you could see multiple times and still find something new and revealing about the characters. Elizabeth Reaser (Rose) and Lois Smith (Helen) are brillant in bringing to life two women with shared experiences of loss and of being lost.

It will stay with me for a while this one.

I'm conflicted about how to rate the Uninvited. The movie looks great and the central hook of the elderly, confused woman arriving just as an important party begins is compelling. I enjoyed all the actors. Being a woman in my 40s myself, I appreciate a story about juggling relationships, children, aging and career and there should be more of these movies out there. There are some funny lines and moments. But there were also some moments which just did not make sense in the world of the story, and dialogue that does not sound like words that real people would ever utter. When she was laying out the eggs - was it Easter? I might have missed it. I found the story about the fish and the star a bit labourous. And the ending - how those people reacted feels so far from anything naturalistic. I could see if it was on stage, where it could be read more as a parable, it could have been far more successful.

I really enjoyed this sensitive intelligent film with its insightful script of adults trying to understand themselves and their complicated lives. Set in a beautiful Hollywood Hills home the characters are complex as they struggle with how to treat each other and their own vulnerabilities. An elderly stranger arrives whose wisdom slowly unfolds as the well acted party guests gradually reveal their truer selves. All of the actors are excellent in their roles. Walton Goggins and Pedro Pascal are interesting as their divergent characters. The setting and scenes all take place at the home and could be a superb Broadway play as well.