If 2011 is remembered for anything, it will be as The Year SXSW Jumped the Shark.
Gotten too big (waiting in line)
-early adopters, there was still so much room for innovation and growth and discovery; it was all still novel
-that small community where you could walk down the street and see someone you know is gone
-mainstream; everyone sends someone from their company now. they don't know why, but they know that they should, to stay ahead
-so many products/tech startups, but nothing is notable
-any joker can have a panel; online voting can be gamed
-alternatives to sxsw Albert Hughes: more specialized conference for me; cut out the extra noise and get speciific info for the field im working in and projects im working on
Designer and author David Kadavy, a presenter at this year's conference,
I still really love SXSW, but it doesn't have the serendipity that it used to. It has gotten so large, you don't run into friends as much as you used to, and there seem to be fewer spontaneous conversations going on amongst strangers. Instead of feeling like a small town where everyone says "hi" to one another, it feels like a big city: crowded, but lonely.
The conference was more exciting when the social web was in its infancy. Now that services like Twitter, Facebook, and Foursquare are more entrenched, the topics being explored have less synergy with the nature of a conference.
Olivia Wilde, Seth Rogen, Penelope Cruz, and Edward Norton in The Invite.
Once upon a time, well before scandal embroiled him, Woody Allen made great comedies aimed at adults. That type of film — which is different from the raunchy, R-rated comedies of the 21st century — has fallen out of favor in Hollywood, but as the new film The Invite proves, when done well it can be as funny as anything else out there.
Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Olivia Wilde) are an unhappily married couple living in San Francisco. As we meet them, Joe has arrived home to Angela preparing for a visit from their upstairs neighbors, Hawk (Edward Norton) and Piña (Penélope Cruz), who have moved in relatively recently. Their impending arrival starts a new round of arguing between Joe and Angela, something they can barely contain once the other couple comes to their door.
What proceeds is a getting-to-know-you process that is mostly awkward as Joe and Angela continue sniping at each other while Hawk and Piña put in their two cents in a much calmer manner. A sticking point between the two couples — the loud sex Hawk and Piña have on an almost nightly basis — turns the film on its head with an unexpected invitation.
Directed by Wilde and written by Will McCormack and Rashida Jones, the film is a fast-paced chamber piece that takes place almost entirely in Joe and Angela’s apartment. Wilde, the writers, and the actors speed the story along not with action but through almost non-stop dialogue that often has the characters overlapping each other’s lines. The rapidity of the speech fuels the humor of the situation and establishes the differing personalities of each person.
Sex is very much top of mind for each of the characters for most of the film, but the filmmakers approach the topic in such a way that it never feels salacious. Each of the characters is a rational adult who can talk about sex in a mature manner while also acknowledging their unique feelings on the matter. And it’s the discoveries each of them makes along the way that brings about the most comedy.
But, like any comedy for adults, the film also has a dramatic tilt to it, and Wilde edges the story back-and-forth between the two tones extremely well. Joe and Angela fighting is played for laughs at times, but the sadness of their relationship comes through loud and clear. Hawk and Piña are much more intimate with each other, but the funniness of their openness is juxtaposed with a depth that arises through their conversations.
In the 2020s, Rogen has managed to make the transition from goofy stoner to stoner with real acting chops. In a stacked cast, he is the one who sells every moment the best. That’s not to say that Wilde, Norton, and Cruz don’t measure up, though; each of them inhabits their respective roles magnificently. The four actors play off each other as if they had been working together for years.
While The Invite will likely play better to those who have experience with long term relationships, its insights — and occasional bawdiness — make it a comedy that can be appreciated universally. With four actors at the top of their games and a razor-sharp script made even better by some well-done improv, it proves that you don’t need to go low to get great laughs.
