Hey guys and welcome to a new 2020 review! Today I will be taking a look at another movie that was supposed to release theatrically last year but instead went to streaming, specifically The Lovebirds which got sold to Netflix by Paramount. To be fair it’s not hard to see why this one skipped theaters as it probably wouldn’t have been a huge money maker and the move to Netflix probably would’ve given much more attention than it otherwise would have gotten via a normal theatrical run. Still though I could’ve seen it being a modest success had it released as intended as the concept seemed like fun and the trailers had plenty of laughs. So I was interested in checking this one out as I do like a nice high concept comedy and for the most part there is enjoyment to be had with this one even if I will admit it works better in certain areas more than others. Now let’s dive right into this as we spend the night with a couple on the run getting into some wacky hijinks.
In this movie we follow Jibran and Leilani, who have been a couple for 4 years yet their relationship has worsened over time. Their constantly arguing with one another and just don’t feel as happy together as they once were. So while during a drive to a dinner party they decide to end their relationship seeing it as the best thing for them to do. Things escalate however once they accidently run into a cyclist and a mysterious man ends up breaking into their car claiming to be police and the man a criminal. A chase then ensues and culminates in the cyclist getting run over and killed by the so called “police officer” and proceeds to shoot the couple until police sirens force him to run away. The two are then forced to flee the scene after some people nearby start accusing them of being responsible for the murder. They consider turning themselves in but consider the story too far fetched for anyone to believe them and decide to go and figure out who this person is all on their own and from there a bunch of crazy scenarios occur throughout the night.
A lot of comparisons have been made to movies like Game Night in that it concerns some sort of couple getting into a crazy situation and must figure out how to get through the night. In that sense while I don’t feel it’s as clever or fresh as some of those movies, like the aforementioned Game Night, it still manages to get the job done in that respect. There are plenty of solid laughs to be had throughout as we go from one wacky scenario to another as it was fun seeing this couple get thrust into this type of situation and the movie is able to blend the drama nicely with the humor which can range from wacky to darkly comedic like that. The best jokes usually stem from the arguments and petty squabbles our two leads would have as it made them feel like a lived in couple and it can be genuinely witty. I also like how certain jokes were set up and then payed off at a later time in the film (including one amusing one involving… well to keep this PG I’ll let you find out for yourself) even if many of the big comedic set pieces were unfortunately given away in the trailers (I really hate it when that happens). The core relationship is also handled well as our two leads do feel like a relatable couple who are going through a rough patch and come to realize how much love they really have for each other as they go through this adventure together. It gives the movie some heart and I like what it is ultimately trying to say about the complicated nature of maintaining a relationship. As a murder mystery though it isn’t quite as investing as the story is less interested in why the murderer did what he did and instead just goes from one strange scenario to another until the two leads figure out what exactly is going on. Given how big of a part of the story that aspect is it is disappointing that it wasn’t nearly as well written or clever as it could’ve been and the movie even touches on certain issues related to the upper class, and race (the latter is mostly played for admittedly well done laughs) but doesn’t really have much to say as their just simply “there”. That and while I did myself enjoying most of the comedy there were still some jokes that did fall flat and again the trailers really did give a lot of the big moments and in the case of the scene in the barn involving a horse, they gave away the funniest parts of those bits as the rest of that scene didn’t work for me unfortunately. It still is entertaining though as it flies by at around 90 minutes and at the very least accomplishes part of what it set out to do even if the other part could’ve been more interesting with a better execution.
I will also give the movie that it is a pretty solidly crafted comedy all things considered. It may not be as technically inventive as something like Game Night but Michael Showalter is still able to show off some fine directing skills as he does manage to bring a sense of excitement and intrigue to a couple of sequences like car chase at the beginning and the meeting of the secret society. It also at the very least feels a lot more polished than other mainstream comedies on Netflix and it makes the most of it’s $16 million budget. Still though what easily elevates this film for me are the performances of our leads given by Kumail Nanjiani, and Issa Rae who are game here. Like I said they help make Jibran and Leilani into a believable couple and have genuine comedic chemistry with one another as well as doing well in the more emotional scenes. Nanjiani in particular gets some really funny lines that elicit some of the biggest laughs in the movie and I really enjoyed seeing their reactions to the crazy stuff that goes down. They make this movie work as well as it does and they always has an entertaining presence that kept me invested. As for the rest of the supporting cast they do fine for their roles that their given. Paul Sparks is a good bit of fun as Mustache, the actual criminal in this whole mess, but while his motivation does seem interesting on paper the actual character didn’t have much to him and I couldn’t care as much for him since there really wasn’t an intriguing build up to this revelation. Only other two that play a somewhat sizable role are Anna Camp and Kyle Bornheimer as Secret Society couple, Edie and Brett respectively and they get some chuckles with their exaggerated personalities but I just wasn’t very big on their big comedic scene (the horse one) as a whole. Everybody does fine for what their given although once again this mainly a fun showcase for the talent of our two leads.
In the end the Lovebirds is a decent enough comedy that gets the job done and has enough entertainment value to make it a fun watch. It’s not as good as I think it could’ve been as the mystery itself isn’t really the interesting, the story isn’t it’s strongest suit, there are jokes that don’t land, and the big bad was underwhelming in a sense, but it works well on the romantic comedy angle, I like what it has to say about relationships, many of the jokes do land to varying degrees, it’s solidly made, and Kumail Nanjiani, and Issa Rae do great work here carrying the movie. Not a great comedy per se but still an entertaining one that will most likely satisfy fans of this type of movie and it may make some appreciate their significant other more. Plus it did make me excited to see what else Nanjiani and Rae will do next and I would love to seem them team up again in the future.
Rating: B-
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