Common Sense Note
Parents need to know that The Invitation is a thriller with some bloody/gory, horror-style scenes. There's lots of fighting, punching, bashing, shooting, and stabbing, with plenty of blood and many dead bodies. A coyote is run over by a car and must be put out of its misery (it's bashed with a tire iron off screen). A man and a woman are seen in a bathtub, with her breasts briefly visible; a woman who's naked from the waist down is also briefly glimpsed in the shadows, and there's both same-sex and opposite-sex kissing. Language isn't constant but does include "f--k," "s--t," and "a--hole." Characters drink socially throughout the film, and cocaine and pills are shown and/or referenced. There are positive representations of a gay couple and an interracial couple. Ultimately this is a smart, well-made thriller that should provide food for thought for mature viewers.
Sexual
Content
A woman naked from the waist down is seen in the shadows, briefly glimpsed. Man and a woman shown in a bathtub, kissing. Woman's breasts briefly seen. Same-sex and opposite-sex kissing. Brief sex talk. Blow job reference.
Violence
An extremely gory climax, with shootings, stabbings, poison, fighting, and struggling; many characters die, and bodies are seen. A woman falls and smashes her head into a table. Lots of blood. A car runs over a coyote, and it must be killed (bashed with a tire iron off screen). Disturbing story of a man punching and killing his wife.
Language
Not frequent, but several uses of "f--k," "motherf----r," "s--t," and "a--hole," plus "Jesus" (as an exclamation).
Social
Behavior
Reminds us that people have different ways of dealing with grief and that there's no real right way or wrong way to do it (unless, of course, that way includes killing people). It's also a warning against cult mentality.
Consumerism
Not applicable
Drugs / Tobacco /
Alcohol
Wine at a dinner party. Some whisky. Bottle of pills (barbiturates) shown. References to cocaine. Reference to a recovering cocaine addict.
