The Uninvited

After watching Pedro Pascal and Walter Goggins absolutely dominate in The Last of Us and Fallout, I was really hoping/expecting there would be more to this than the description. Some kind of time-travel thing or something to make it interesting. (Between the title and setting, my mind kept going back to The Invitation, which definitely had its shortcomings but was at least creative) Unfortunately, it's just a straight drama. For what it is it's done very well, but the entire movie is just interpersonal drama with layers of trivial love story. It's a story, just not one worth telling.

The movie is done very well, so if you're someone that likes filling your head with banal personal BS, it's definitely worth checking out. If you like stories with creativity, definitely skip this. Pedro Pascal's charisma may seem endless, but it can't carry this much.

Rose" (Elizabeth Reaser) is married to talent agent "Sammy" (Walton Goggins) and they are preparing for a make-or-break party at their home one evening when the sound of a repetitious car horn sends her out to investigate. That's when she meets "Helen" (Lois Smith). She's an elderly lady convinced that she lives in their house, and when "Rose" takes her in whilst trying to summon some help her presence seems to galvanise her family and their guests into a series of revealingly uninteresting and cocaine-induced home truths that drags the whole thing into the doldrums of a melodrama populated by some seriously mediocre actors adequately reflected by the presence of Rufus Sewell! Actually, any scene stealing probably just belongs to a toilet doorknob, to Smith and to an enthusiastic effort from Roland Rubio as their son "Wilder". Otherwise it's really just a collection of who cares people that engender very little interest in their self-induced and/or self-serving problems. Stereotypes galore, sorry!

In stylish but pretentiously artsy drama "The Uninvited" Hollywood agent Walton Goggins (always good) & ex-actress wife Elizabeth Reaser (outstanding) host a party for guests including actors Pedro Pascal (Reaser's first love who supposedly oozes charm - tho Pascal doesn't convey that) & Goggins' main client Rufus Sewell (with actress gf Eva Di Dominici). As domestic issues unfold (particularly between Goggins & Reaser) elderly Lois Smith pitches up with her dementia apparently convincing her she lives there. What writer / director Nadia Conners intended with it all in her second film is unclear even after the credits roll. It's quite nice to look at, but ultimately meh.

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 can see why many already famous actors would want to be part of this movie. A balanced comedy drama; uses a Hollywood environment to set up a surprisingly great movie. The script is so well distilled that manages to be dense while feeling familiar, no matter your circumstances. Lois Smith is a total blast ... just think of it, as she seems to be 95 years old; she is one of probably two main characters in this movie, and she takes you for a ride ... you don't know what to expect from her! Her body language is so expressive ... her state of mind may switch from gone to utterly present in a nanosecond. Elizabeth is brilliant as well; as she understands and embraces this strange presence while balancing her myriad or roles as host / wife / mother and coach. Three well recognizable male actors play roles most men can identify with ... the worried husband, the creative / God like ... the non vibant ... no time to feel, etc. Loved every character in this movie; which is a way of saying that writer / director is unusually talented.