Cosmic Night Owl

“The Lovebirds”- Movie Review

Everyone could use a good love story now and again. Even a scrooge like me appreciates a decent romp every once in a while, though in my opinion, a romantic romp that’s actually decent is hard to find. I try to keep an eye out for ones with good word-of-mouth, or ones that don’t seem too blandly mainstream. At first glance, I expected The Lovebirds to follow the latter criteria, so I wasn’t going to bother seeing it. But alas, I’m a blogger in need of content, and I’ll happily take any new releases I can get. 

The Lovebirds was originally slated for an April 3rd theatrical release. But given our current predicament, Paramount Pictures chose to move it to Netflix, which, after seeing it, may have been the best home for it in the first place. The story follows a couple, played by Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae, whose relationship has soured over the past few years. Just as they’re on the verge of calling it quits, they’re suddenly car-jacked and bear witness to a murder. Worried that they’ll be blamed for the crime, the pair go on the run, thus embarking on a crazy journey to find the true culprits and clear their names. 

I had no plans to watch this movie, let alone review it. I don’t usually take the time to watch rom-coms unless there’s a considerable amount of praise being thrown their way. But I’m a movie blogger who needs content, and considering how new content has been a rarity these past few months, I’ll take what I can get. So I gave The Lovebirds a chance, and you know what? It’s not half bad. It certainly follows a familiar formula to a tee- the zany couple-spends-night-getting-mixed-up-in-criminal-antics schtick. And the script offers few surprises.

What keeps your attention are Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae. They share a decent chemistry, both romantically and comedically, and although the jokes themselves don’t always hit, their deliveries give way for a number of laugh-out-loud moments. Nanjiani in particular got a consistent chuckle out of me. As a whole, I’d say the comedy is hit and miss, but the jokes that miss aren’t bad enough to ruin the movie. The flaws that do exist lie purely within the narrative.

The plot of this movie is pretty ridiculous. It’s one of those films where everything could’ve been solved within the first few minutes. If the couple had just called the police and explained that they were unwillingly dragged into this situation, then bam!, movie over. To its credit, the film does point out their paranoia of being racially profiled, which is a legit concern. And the movie even acknowledges the solvability of this entire scenario in the third act. Despite this, it’s still pretty silly, and I couldn’t stop thinking about it throughout the duration of the film. And it doesn’t help that the way the mystery itself is sloppily delivered. By the end you have a not-so-clear picture of what really was going on. 

Nonetheless, The Lovebirds does exactly what it sets out to do. It’s a rom-com with an engaging enough romance and comedy that provides a few solid chuckles. The story is a bit wonky, but if you’re not interested in focusing on the film’s finer details, it’s easy to overlook. If you’re in the mood for something light, then check it out.

Cosmic Grade- 3.3/5 Stars