MovieChat Forums > The Invitation (2016) Discussion > Was this set in a bizarro universe or so...

Was this set in a bizarro universe or something? spoilers

posted 8 years ago by TheBeardedWonder
27 replies | jump to latest

Nobody acts like a normal human in this entire movie. It's complete nonsense and seems to be taking place in a parallel universe where everyone is on downers or has the IQ of a fetus. Anyone else would have left within seconds of showing up to this party at the ex wives house - which used to be his.

Someone slaps a man and nobody reacts at all. Someone else has a group of friends over and tries to convert them to his cult like it's just another day for everyone and this kinda stuff happens all the time or something. Another is a lady they met in Mexico and took home with them like she's a souvenir frog trinket with crazy eyes. Another locks the door from the inside and takes the key, and is even called on it, but everyone says the one who noticed is the weirdo.

There's no cell or home phone line but nobody seems to care if theres an emergency. A guy puts on a video of a person dying and everyone just kind of shrugs it off within minutes. One girl just randomly makes out with someone in front of her husband and everyone just walks off to the table for dinner like nothing happened. One is a recovering addict who is offered coke. One lady asks to leave and is denied at first. Someone is at the door and when asked who, the host responds 'some people on foot looking for a party' as if people just walk around the cliffs hoping to find random parties or something.

What the hell is going on in this movie? None of it makes any sense or resembles a reality we live in. The characters are annoying, the plot is outlandish, and the whole thing is so impossible to connect to that you're just numbly staring at the screen for the entire runtime, not really caring about what happens to anyone that's dumb enough to stay at a cult party with a locked door and no means of communication with the outside world.

The one character who bring up all of this absurdity is told HE'S the one acting weird and freaking everyone out for some reason. Then when given the choice to leave the party, which he just pointed out was weird, he says no for some reason. Repeatedly. Then when he wants to go the girlfriend conveniently says no this time, again for some reason we're not privy to.

Then the big ending happens, and the guy who has been built up the entire movie to show us he's totally insane kills someone, and it's supposed to be a shock. We've been seeing clues all night that this was going to happen, the main character literally says them out loud. Then the one person who's not a regular in the group is also in on it. Twist! Except we all saw it coming of course, because he's the odd man out. All of this was telegraphed an hour ago when they talked about how great the afterlife is and showed that video. None of it was a surprise.

The character literally points out why they should leave throughout the entire runtime of the movie, but never does. If you were taking a writing class and turned in characters who act like this you'd receive an F and be told to do it again. I've seen fantasy movies that made more sense than this dreck. What a waste of time this trash was, I really should have just taken a nap or stared at the wall for 90 mins...

[–] phil-etessami 8 years ago

I adore you.

[–] littlegreycells_11 8 years ago

Haha, I've got to agree with you, it did seem ridiculous that they all thought Will was the odd one out, when David was the one doing all the weird things. I want to know what happened to the girl that left (Claire?), cos the weird girl they brought back from mexicos boyfriend stopped her as she went to drive off didn't he? I wonder if she made it. Those red lights at the end were so creepy!

[–] trottietrue 8 years ago

Omg I'm hysterical reading this. So funny. I agree with every point you made. It's absolutely ridiculous. Tbh I'd have turned my car around after I hit the coyote at the start. I'd be on edge already going to some weird dinner party and all the aggro and stress of that incident would have me saying *beep* this.

Claire was the only normal one since she left when it got too strange. I wonder if she made it or if that nutcase Pruitt killed her. In fact what the hell. A guy tells you he hit his beloved wife, who reminded him of landscapes or whatever trash he spouted, as hard as he could and you let him walk you to your car or whatever. And the other guests stay when he's revealed to be a killer. I'd not have any of my friends in that dangerous situation and I'd be like we are getting out of here. They are all thick.

[–] hawkinssouth 8 years ago

A guy tells you he hit his beloved wife, who reminded him of landscapes or whatever trash he spouted, as hard as he could and you let him walk you to your car or whatever. And the other guests stay when he's revealed to be a killer.

It's political correctness gone mad! Seriously, it is a PC mindset of not wanting to hurt this guy's feelings, so instead of saying, "I don't want to be around this guy, whether he served his jail time or not," you have to be sensitive and just pat his hand.

BTW, I don't think the Prius lady made it away. Prewiett didn't have time to hide her car, so it was probably still sitting there just outside the gate, with her dead body still at the wheel.

Another sign this was an alternate universe: all those red lanterns dotted through the hills. A death cult couldn't have infected that many people -- people who all lived in those hills and met this cult in Mexico and came home and coordinated the timing of these death parties. It wasn't like Jonestown where a lot of people followed a charismatic leader to a compound. These folks were off the leash. I don't buy it.

[–] burnplant 8 years ago

Saying that people being too reserved is "PC" shows how dim you are, that and not knowing how to spell Pruitt.
People were much more reserved and proper in every era leading up to our times, but dimwits like you chalk it up to PC because your are feeble minded.
I suppose not speaking of racism and blatant misogyny was too PC?
Loser

[–] hawkinssouth 8 years ago

I'm not so dim that I resort to calling names when I disagree with someone.

I spelled "Prewitt" according to the subtitles. Google "Prewitt." There are hundreds of thousands of people who spell the name that way.

I assume you are trying to say that the woman who left was too "reserved" to refuse Pruitt's insistence on escorting her to her car? That's nonsense. She wasn't being reserved. She was uncomfortable to the point of being frightened. So why didn't she tell Pruitt that she didn't need him to escort her to her car? Because she was embarrassed to say, "I don't want to walk alone with a murderer." And that is political correctness -- that desperation to avoid hurting someone's feelings, even when your personal safety depends on it.

Finally, who was talking about racism or misogyny? That had nothing to do with my comment. Your comment doesn't even make sense. "Much more reserved and proper in every era"? Can you explain what you meant by that? Because I doubt it. I suspect you're just a troll.

[–] MyShia919 8 years ago

Coming from someone who lives in LA, this actually wasn't all that bizarre of a set up. People here are rampant with their "bohemian" lifestyles that are all informed by "enlightening" trips to exotic countries. The entire thing seemed like it could totally happen, especially seeing as how when you live here you start to get used to the flighty weirdness and have to accept it in social situations on a daily basis. The over-politeness of the guests is exactly how it goes.

And a lot of people love to brag about not caring about technology and being "off the grid," so I totally understand people pretending to be okay with no cell service. Everyone out here pretends to be so-totally-chill and copacetic about situations that are literally insane. The only unbelievable part of this movie was that a black woman did not leave that house within the first 20 mins of being there. She really must have loved that guy.

[–] SWLinPHX-2 7 years ago

I assume you are trying to say that the woman who left was too "reserved" to refuse Pruitt's insistence on escorting her to her car? That's nonsense. She wasn't being reserved. She was uncomfortable to the point of being frightened. So why didn't she tell Pruitt that she didn't need him to escort her to her car? Because she was embarrassed to say, "I don't want to walk alone with a murderer."

You obviously didn't pay attention. It was Will who offered to walk her to her car and she said not to be silly as it was only 40 feet away. It was Pruitt who then asked if she had a Prius and that he parked behind her and would have to move his car for her to leave. She had no choice.

[–] BoundByHonor 7 years ago

What are you 8 years old, burnplant? Can't disagree with someone without insults full of condescension? I call troll too.

Another sign this was an alternate universe: all those red lanterns dotted through the hills. A death cult couldn't have infected that many people -- people who all lived in those hills and met this cult in Mexico and came home and coordinated the timing of these death parties. It wasn't like Jonestown where a lot of people followed a charismatic leader to a compound. These folks were off the leash. I don't buy it.

I'm with you on that one, not the least bit believable. I could buy maybe a couple of people brainwashed into this cult, but not to that scale. I know people in L.A. are crazy, but damn man it's still just too damn many.

[–] vilafire (609) a year ago

You’re the one who doesn’t fully understand what PC means, unfortunately.

[–] aedtu 8 years ago

This was so funny haha. A few things though: What makes you say that she was a recovering addict? Also, "points out" is a figurative expression. I suppose you could literally point out something, but I don't think that's what you mean to say here.

More importantly though, who do you think the people "looking for the party" were? I've been wondering about that.

[–] dxben99 8 years ago

It was foreshadowing of the ending where we find out this stuff is happening all over the neighborhood. They were "guests" following another invitation, i.e. literally "looking for the party". ;)

[–] therefdotcom 8 years ago

very well put.

[–] garthhudson37 8 years ago

I'm not going to make any excuses for the movie but they are all on downers. My impression was that the wine was laced with phenobarbital and everyone was drinking it.

My only knowledge of phenobarbital is that it's used in lethal injections when combined with other drugs. They had all been dosed with phenobarbital and then whatever was in the last glass of wine was supposed to react with the phenobarbital and cause death.

[–] somesunnyday 8 years ago

Hey man, this was set in the Hollywood hills, that's a bizarro universe in itself.

[–] draftdubya 8 years ago

@The breadedwonder. Your post should be at the beginning of this board. Like another poster said "it's no way that black woman would've stayed" through all that weird shiat.

Was this set in a bizarro universe or something? *spoilers*

Was this set in a bizarro universe or something? spoilers