'The Lovebirds' Provides A Funny, Welcome Distraction From Anxious Times
Starring Issa Rae, Kumail Nanjiani, Anna Camp, Paul Sparks
R
Comedy, Action
Run time: 1 hr, 26 min
Directed by Michael Showalter
On Netflix May 22, 2020
When I first saw this trailer, all I could think was that this was somehow a spiritual sequel to another Kumail Nanjiani film that had many scenes in a car - Stuber. Which would not be a good thing. I was thrilled to be proven wrong. This is no Oscar winner, but in this quarantine, starved-for-new-entertainment atmosphere, this new Netflix release is well worth the time. Originally, this movie would have been dropped in theaters all over the country, but looking at it in the current environment, it’s a perfect straight-to-streaming release. It’s enjoyable, occasionally laugh-out-loud funny and doesn’t have any major action sequences that aren’t as exciting without it being on a big screen.
There’s something to be said for a solid comedy, and that’s exactly what The Lovebirds is. A couple (Nanjiani and Issa Rae) are in a rocky place but are brought together under the most insane of circumstances: seemingly being framed for murder. The rest of the movie follows their journey trying to get answers about what they witnessed, attempting to stay under the radar and avoiding the police. And naturally, since it’s a comedy, nothing goes the way they hope. Shenanigans abound, and there are adventures and costume changes galore.
This plot may not be the most original or unusual, but it’s far better than I expected. This could have seemed stupid rather than fully comedic, but they walked a fine line between humor and absurdity. The majority of that can be attributed to the truly fantastic comedic timing of the two leads. Separately, they are both extremely funny, but combining them is a stroke of genius. The plot is almost not even needed as I’m pretty sure I’d happily watch 90 minutes of just improvised conversation between these two. I was honestly shocked to find out neither of them had something to do with writing the movie, because the dialogue seems tailor-made for them.
You can’t go into this movie expecting award-season status. But it doesn’t try to hit that. The Lovebirds does exactly what it means to: it’s to entertain and make you laugh. And it does that perfectly. A small role from Pitch Perfect’s Anna Camp adds an excellent foil to the main couple’s personalities, and everyone easily flows from one conversation and scene to another. It seems effortless. There’s no laugh track, no real pauses for, “Get it??” moments after jokes. It’s just watching two very funny people get into many very funny situations. And when we live in a time filled with anxiety and nerves, a movie that can just distract us for an hour and a half is an absolute win.