The Lovebirds

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If you've been following me for long enough, you know I'm not the biggest fan of rom-coms, particularly when the film is almost exclusive to this genre. The Lovebirds mixes up the latter with a crime-mystery plot, so I was surprisingly interested in watching this Netflix (ex-Paramount) flick. I don't have a definite opinion on Kumail Nanjiani as an actor since I've only seen The Big Sick, a film I admire, but I don't really share the love that many people have for it. I do like his stand-up routines, though. And it's the first time I see Issa Rae on screen, so ... what do I think about them?

They're undoubtedly the best part of this movie. It might be expected for some people, but I genuinely didn't know how this pair would work together. Kumail and Issa share impeccable chemistry, carrying the whole story on their shoulders, especially when the entertainment level starts to decrease due to the generic, dull narrative. Their comedic range and timing are really great, but the script only allows for occasionally good jokes. Issa gives the strongest performance out of the two, by far. She's able to balance her comedic and dramatic expressions quite well, something I can't really write about Kumail.

I'm not going to lie: the two fantastic lead performances and scattered laughs here and there aren't enough to hold my interest. The screenplay is packed with the genre's formulaic plot points, ridiculous narrative/character decisions, and cringe-worthy dialogues. This last issue becomes worse as time goes by. There's a specific type of scene repeated throughout the film in an annoying quantity. It's one of those tiresome, hard to understand, truly irritating dialogues where they're talking over each other for comedy's sake, acting like fools, and it just doesn't work for me.

The plot on itself is hilarious, and not in a good way. To be clear, Michael Showalter does...

The classic rom-com is given a non-traditional spin in “The Lovebirds,” now streaming on Netflix. The honeymoon is over for couple Leilani (Issa Rae) and Jibran (Kumail Nanjiani), who’ve decided to split up after a couple of years together. Seconds after breaking up in their car on the way to a party, a strange man runs out in front of them and Jibran accidentally hits him. A cop suddenly commandeers their vehicle and runs down the man, killing him. Crazy things happen, and the two become unintentionally embroiled in a murder mystery.

The story is fun, even if there isn’t much to it. The pair, who flee the scene and run from the cops because they are afraid of being blamed for the murder, have a series of misadventures as they race through New Orleans attempting to solve the crime. Since the film stars an African-American and Pakistani-American, it touches on social issues that reflect the different reactions that two people of color have to the situation versus how two white characters would likely behave if faced with the same predicament. It’s a fresh, modern take on a formulaic narrative.

The jokes are mostly funny and the leads have a terrific chemistry, even if their delivery is full of over-the-top gestures and line readings that play to the balcony. The blending of a romantic comedy with a mystery / adventure story is fun, but this movie probably would’ve felt like even more of a letdown if it had been released in theaters.

“The Lovebirds” isn’t great, but it provides mindless escapism that works as a home streaming flick, and is entertaining because of its very likeable, charismatic comedic leads.