The not-quite-comedy of manners “The Uninvited” begins with Rose (Elizabeth Reaser) fretting about her age in her walk-in closet. She and her husband Sammy (Walton Goggins), a talent agent plotting a big move, are about to throw a garden party, for which they are desperate to look successful.
But really they’re just desperate. Or as desperate as affluent people can be while also being completely self-absorbed.
The showbiz strivers of “The Uninvited,” written and directed by Nadia Conners, seem to have been created for the express purpose of being mocked. This is one of those self-hating Hollywood pictures. What’s new is its title hook.
The uninvited guest is a confused older woman named Helen, played with painstaking expertise by Lois Smith, who shows up at the gate of Rose and Sammy’s house believing that it’s her home. Sammy just wants her gone — you get the feeling he might just toss her in the canyon if he could carry her that far — while Rose finds her better angels stirring up some compassion for her vulnerable guest.
Of course Smith’s Helen is a fount of senior wisdom, telling one of her juniors, “You’re so angry — it will be the death of you.” About a half-hour in, Lucien (Pedro Pascal), a megastar and past romantic interest of Rose’s, shows up. His presence complicates matters and takes the focus off Helen, making this picture a very soft and indefinite satire.
The Uninvited
Rated R for language, themes, sexual references. Running time: 1 hour 37 minutes. In theaters.
