The Uninvited (2024 film)

The Uninvited is a 2024 American comedy drama film written and directed by Nadia Conners in her directorial debut.^[1][2] The film stars Pedro Pascal, Lois Smith, Elizabeth Reaser, Walton Goggins, Eva De Dominici, and Rufus Sewell. Its plot revolves around a stranger crashing a party which leads to a comedy of errors, and a reordering of life.

The Uninvited
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Nadia Conners
Written by	Nadia Conners
Produced by	Rosie Fellner Carlos Cuscó Ari Taboada
Starring	Walton Goggins Elizabeth Reaser Rufus Sewell Pedro Pascal Eva De Dominici Lois Smith
Cinematography	Robert Leitzell
Edited by	Patrick Walsh Todd Zelin
Music by	Eric Avery
Production companies	Foton Pictures Rosebud Pictures
Distributed by	Foton Distribution
Release dates	March 11, 2024 (2024-03-11) (SXSW) April 11, 2025 (2025-04-11) (United States)
Running time	97 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Uninvited premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival on March 11, 2024,^[3] and was released in the United States on April 11, 2025.

Premise

Actress-turned-reluctant homemaker Rose (Elizabeth Reaser), and her agent husband Sammy (Walton Goggins) host a small party to impress a star client (Rufus Sewell), but tensions simmer beneath the glamorous façade when an elderly woman (Lois Smith) unexpectedly arrives, claiming the house was once hers.

Cast

• Walton Goggins as Sammy, Hollywood agent and Rose's husband
• Elizabeth Reaser as Rose, renowned stage actress turned Hollywood housewife and Sammy's wife
• Rufus Sewell as Gerald, Sammy's top client who arrives coked-out
• Pedro Pascal as Lucian, a Hollywood star
• Eva De Dominici as Delia, ingénue
• Lois Smith as Helen, the confused elderly woman claiming to live in the couple's home

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 85% of 20 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.5/10.^[4] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 69 out of 100, based on five critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.^[5]

The performances have been widely praised, especially Reaser and Smith, whose on-screen dynamic provides much of the film's emotional heft, nuance and subtle power. Goggins and Pascal also deliver strong performances, with Goggins standing out as the stressed, morally conflicted Sammy.^[6][7]

Critics appreciated the film's visual style and the way it uses its setting—a sprawling Hollywood home—to create a sense of both intimacy and unease. Director Nadia Conners is praised for maintaining an intriguing tension throughout, and for a sharp character study and exploration of aging, gender roles, and Hollywood's superficiality.^[8]

The film won the Best Drama Feature at the 2024 San Diego International Film Festival.^[9]

Release

The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 11, 2024. It was released in the United States on April 11, 2025.^[10]