The Lovebirds is yet another film that found its release affected by the current pandemic. Originally slated for an early April theatrical run, it finally found its home on Netflix in late May, which honestly might be the best venue for the widest audience to see this delightful action rom-comedy.
Usually, when a film has so many elements going for it, the whole often equals less than the sum of its much-loved parts, and the raised bar of high expectations aids to ensure disappointment. But the breezy direction of Michael Showalter combined with the wit and charm of Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae works as wonderfully as expected.
Nanjiani and Rae play Jibran and Leilani, who we see in an opening segment fall in love at first hook-up. Four years later, they are arguing about whether they’d be good enough to win The Amazing Race as they get ready for a dinner party. It’s these moments of them being in, and talking about, their relationship that really pull the film together. Their quibbles hopscotch from the inane inner-workings of orgy organizing, to the very serious questions of where their life together is going. The little jokes peppered throughout are quietly hilarious while also ringing true to the scenario, wherein one person will use humor to avoid uncomfortable topics they might be unwilling to face head-on (or so I’ve heard). It gives their relationship a genuine quality, and it is directed and acted seemingly effortlessly.
Of course, I did mention the word “action” as well. If Jibran and Leilani’s chemistry is the cheese that holds this pizza together, the toppings are the crazy scenarios in which they find themselves embroiled. A spoiler-free turn of events turns them both into fugitives from the law who must solve a crime to clear their names. Their amateur sleuthing takes them to bizarre and unexpected places, each one yielding its own noteworthy scenes. What starts as a study on a relationship quickly becomes a buddy cop movie, only one where the cops used to sleep together. This transition from realism to action-movie clichés is thoroughly mined for its comedic gems while still staying rooted in Jibran and Leilani’s relationship.
The Lovebirds isn’t reinventing the wheel, it’s just a very good, well-made wheel, passing the ole tire-kick test with aplomb. And while the end destination of the plot is fairly predictable, the road to get there is a swift joyride.
