A rom-com that’s better than most of what you can find on Netflix. It reunites Kumail Nanjiani with his Big Sick director Michael Showalter and pairs him with Issa Rae for a comedy that’s more entertaining than most of what the streaming service offers. Four years into their relationship, Jibran and Leilani are sniping at each other over everything from sex to politics. Their bickering is interrupted by a murder mystery that they’re framed for.
The Plot
Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae deliver a winning romantic comedy. The two are a natural fit as Leilani and Jibran, a couple that’s been together for four years. But their relationship is struggling. She feels he’s too private, and he thinks she’s shallow. After an argument, they decide to split. But when they get swept up in an ordeal involving a local cult, the murder mystery takes them further away from their breakup than they ever imagined.
The Lovebirds feels a lot like the kind of goofy romp-com you might watch on a plane. Its murder plot is more of a MacGuffin than anything else, and it’s hard to care about the fate of these characters.
Director Michael Showalter and star Nanjiani leveled up with 2017’s The Big Sick, and they continue to impress here. But they need a better script to make this movie work. The Lovebirds could have been much more. It has a great pairing and some decent jokes, but it’s ultimately let down by its lazily-written plot.
The Cast
The Lovebirds stars Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae in the rom-com of the year. Its cast also features familiar faces from movies and TV shows like House of Cards, Silicon Valley and Wolf of Wall Street. The repelis film was directed by Michael Showalter, who worked with Nanjiani in the past on The Big Sick. The two actors have excellent chemistry and they work well together.
While the plot of The Lovebirds isn’t too different from other movies like Date Night and Murder Mystery, there’s something about it that feels fresh. This is mostly thanks to the great chemistry between Nanjiani and Rae. They make the movie worth watching.
While The Lovebirds doesn’t live up to the level of The Big Sick, it’s still a funny and refreshing movie that everyone should watch. The film is perfect for couples and people who are into romantic comedy. However, if you’re looking for more action or suspense, this film isn’t the one for you.
The Overall Rating
Originally slated for theatrical release before the COVID-19 pandemic scuttled its SXSW premiere and pushed it straight to Netflix, The Lovebirds requires a smidge more suspension of disbelief than your average rom com. But Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani’s charming chemistry lift the film above countless other similarly plotted heist movies that have populated the streaming service.
The script isn’t as smart as it should be, but the two stars make it work. The movie doesn’t rely on stale declarations of love or comic misunderstandings to drive the point home; instead, it lets Leilani and Jibran bicker about everything from petty relationship quarrels to which of them has the best taste in clothing.
And despite the bloody body count, the movie never gets too gross. Sure, there’s cursing and talk of sex, but it’s a far cry from the kind of stuff you’d expect to see in a thriller. Ultimately, The Lovebirds is more like Queen & Slim than Date Night or even Game Night.
Final Words
While The Lovebirds doesn’t quite transcend its formulaic trappings, it still delivers a surprisingly enjoyable ride. From the manifold jokes Nanjiani and Rae scatter throughout the film to their slapstick physical comedy, The Lovebirds is an 86-minute blast of levity.
Originally intended for theaters, The Lovebirds moved to Netflix when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and the move worked to its advantage. Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae make a fine team, demonstrating the chemistry that made them stars on YouTube.
The film’s story takes them deep into the swampy underbelly of Louisiana politics and higher-up elites, but the characters are so likable that it is hard to care. Even when the plot throws them into a cult that resembles Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut, the pair manage to keep it from getting too serious. There is some unresolved romantic trauma in Nanjiani’s past, but the film never fully mines that for its humor. It is, in other words, a perfectly cromulent studio comedy.