Some films are made with the best of intentions, collecting an excellent cast of game actors, yet still come up short. Meet The Uninvited, a meandering, single-setting dramedy set in the Hollywood Hills. Fueled by a sweet performance from renowned film and stage actress Lois Smith, there is sadly little else to recommend. The premise sounds promising at first glance, and certainly the setup suggests commentary on ageism and unrealistic beauty standards. Instead, debut writer/director Nadia Conners chooses a baffling approach in what boils down to a super simple house-party-gone-wrong romp. As nothingburger as it gets, The Uninvited completely wastes an excellent cast, worth watching solely for the warmth of Tony-nominee Lois Smith and virtually nothing else.
Rose (Elizabeth Reaser, Twilight, The Haunting of Hill House) and Sammy (Walton Goggins, The White Lotus, House of 1000 Corpses) are throwing an upscale party for Sammy’s job, featuring nothing but the most elite clientele and celebrities in attendance. In preparation, Rose psychs herself up in the mirror while Sammy takes business calls; both neglect their two kids in honor of their self-centeredness. From the onset, this couple is just off. Sammy tells Rose that he drifts off while she talks, and they squabble about random issues without true consequence. Reaser and Goggins are never believable as a couple, but perhaps that is the point. They are and always have been mismatched.
Their carefully laid out plans are thrown into disarray at the appearance of a Prius near the gate leading up to their massive home. An elderly woman named Helen (Smith, True Blood, Twister) appears to be either delusional or lost, convinced that she lives at the sprawling estate. Against better judgment, Rose allows Helen inside their home to use the bathroom. Helen’s presence becomes the sole source of interest in the choppy storyline. Caught somewhere between misguided tropes about dementia and oddball asides with random characters from the couple’s past, the flimsy narrative does the movie no favors.
The rotating door of bit players should be fun, yet they fail to illicit much of pulse. The Uninvited was originally envisioned as a stage play, and it fails to evolve past its stagey trappings. Pedro Pascal girlies—we know you’re out there—will probably be disappointed with his minimal role. Despite being prominently featured on the poster and in advertising materials, Pascal’s role of a sober-but-not-sober actor has virtually zero relevance to the unfolding story. Wasting Pascal feels particularly criminal when he has been channeled to greatness recently in both Freaky Tales and The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent. Goggins has leaned into high camp before in various roles; his Sammy lacks much of an arc, considering any development that occurs quickly gets backpedaled. Reaser shows promise as Rose, but never gets to have a big moment.
Not even an aura photographer or Lois Smith taking a walk down memory lane can overcome a choppy structure. Single-location movies have potential to be great by doubling down on their setting, so what a shame that such a grandiose spot barely has a personality. To make matters worse, the abrupt ending does not give closure to any of the presented threads. The shallow nature of celebrities and their misguided priorities provides ample opportunity for meta commentary. Unfortunately, the surface-level nature leaves too much in the hands of the audience to fill blanks into its emptiness.
Attend an exclusive cocktail party crashed by The Uninvited, cozying up in UK cinemas on Friday, May 9th.
