Item: The Lovebirds
Rating: 5
Author: Matt Rooney

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

Review: The newest, highly-digestible comedy to hit Netflix, THE LOVEBIRDS, is one made with the understanding of how incredibly talented leads Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae are. They take center stage of every gag, awkward encounter, and funny back-and-forth the flick dishes out, with them using every line reading doing to do what they can to make the most out of what they were given. What's most disappointing is that for how great they are — and for what more they're capable of — the material they're given leaves them stranded in an uninspired and unenergetically told story that manages to make it's 82-minute runtime feel like a drag.

Yes, it should go down as a cinematic crime that a movie with these leads and this premise is hardly ever entertaining to watch. To set the stage, Nanjiani and Rae play couple Jibran and Leilani, who we're introduced to during their budding early years, a montage of passionate glances and romantic dates. Flash-forward four years, they're on the brink of collapse, any semblance of affection replaced by arguments over whether or not they could win THE AMAZING RACE. After realizing they're probably done as a couple, they hit a bicyclist with their car, have said car taken over by a cop, one who then repeatedly runs over the bicyclist, leaving Jibran and Leilani to deal with the aftermath. They then set out on a race across New Orleans to clear their name — and considering this all happens within the movie's first 10 minutes — the ingredients are all there and ready for the mixing for a breakneck adventure that also explores a couple with deep-seated issues with one another. But, alas, we don't get that movie.

The opening moments are the movie's best, painting a portrait of two very distinct characters, and showcase what strength there is in not only the leads, but also the script from Aaron Abrams and Brendan Gall, and the direction from Michael Showalter (who directed the superb THE BIG SICK starring Nanjiani). There's an engaging dynamic of emotional tension that erupts seamlessly into chaos, but the problem is that the moment the adventure starts — with stakes and emotional development should be ramping up — the brakes are smashed and everything comes to a screeching halt. As they make their way from plot point to plot point, I can't imagine anyone actually caring about what half-baked quest the two of them are actually on (which involves trying to expose a blackmailing plot surrounding a secret society, I gathered). In place of any stakes, threats, or genuine character development are mostly lifeless scenes fueled exclusively by the bickering of the two main characters, until all of a sudden some sort of low-key chaos ensues, they stumble upon what they need, and onto the next.

The primary "why" of them on the run can be traced back to a shoehorned-in commentary on race relations between minority Americans and the police, but this material that could've given LOVEBIRDS more insight and bite is treated as a joke for one short moment (albeit well-done by Rae). Even the threat of them being chased by the police is non-existent, as there is little to no evidence presented that they're being chased by anyone at all. If there's news footage showing them as the subject of a manhunt I missed it when I blinked, and even when the cop who ran over the cyclist rears his head, he only does enough to barely register as a villain. That means across this whole adventure, the only motivators for story progression are the leads' own paranoia…and maybe even a touch of stupidity. While that does lay the foundation for a reveal at the end, the result feels like a lazy excuse for a funny twist that may, at best, be met with a slight chuckle from audiences. As for some hope for side characters poping to at least try to spice things up, everyone but the woefully underused Anna Camp as a demented Southern girl with a knack for torture gets to be anything more than a stock character with nothing to do but get out a few lines and never be seen again.

With a rushed story that manages to drag its knuckles and provide little ingenuity, the entirety of the movie is placed on the shoulders of Nanjiani and Rae, and they absolutely do everything they can with what they're given. When on display their passion is palpable, their back-and-forth is seamless, and everything from their animosity to their love exudes the natural chemistry you dream for in a leading duo. I just wish the script gave them more to do as characters beyond having them bicker in every scene, arguing on how to go about their next move or how to retrieve information. When they do get a chance to be real and open up it feels more obligatory and less like they're actually learning and growing, with that jumbled in with textbook scenes where they look at each other, see how attracted they still are to one another, and exude an individual sense of "Hey, maybe we should stay together." As funny and perfectly matched as the two stars are — and how much they make listless scenes feel engaging and watchable — they can only do so much with a script that very little gets to some honesty, and more often treats them as personalities for comedy fodder.

We're at a point right now where a laugh is more needed than ever, and for many, I suspect LOVEBIRDS will scratch an itch by offering a few small chuckles, one or two really good bits, and two very talented, funny people making it work best they can with their chemistry. But I can't relay enough how much this movie just goes through the motions and hardly ever rises above other typical rom-com/action flicks, which feels like a shame considering how much potential going on on all sides of the camera.