‘I wished I’d brought knitting’: How I discovered that group sex is overrated

October 8, 2026 — 5:00am

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There are quite a few overrated phenomena in this world. Water beds, destination weddings, oysters, tattoos and, most of all, orgies. I mean, how can you have a good time when you are desperately jealous that everyone else is having a better time than you? And, surely, all feelings of mutual sharing and caring must evaporate when you find yourself sleeping in a wet patch, then realising it’s not your doing.

Group gropes are a hot topic right now because of a recent film directed by Olivia Wilde called The Invite. Its premise is that Joe (Seth Rogen) and Angela (Wilde), a couple suffering from marital ennui, invite their new upstairs neighbours, Hawk (Edward Norton) and Piña (Penélope Cruz), down for a soufflé. The soufflé doesn’t rise but the topic of partner swapping does.

Will they or won’t they accept? Having seen the film, it’s a question many couples are now asking themselves. Would you? Could you let the g-string of restraint slip nonchalantly to the floor? It’s an exciting idea in theory, but........

© The Sydney Morning Herald