We’re all still practicing social distancing. The Lovebirds
was going to be released in theaters last month, but it adjusted to Netflix,
where you can now stream it!
The Lovebirds is a rom-com that begins with a quick montage illustrating
how Leilani and Jibran fell in love. Three years later they are realizing the
relationship is no longer working and have decided to call it quits when they
encounter a bit of a situation. They interrupt a man who says he’s a cop
chasing a guy on a bicycle. The cop commandeers their car and promptly uses it
to eliminate the man on the bike. He then leaves as bystanders start to show
up. Leilani and Jibran realize they are not likely to be believed when they state
their innocence and go on the run. Hijinks ensue as their relationship
rekindles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzPq8uVgLe8
The movie is directed by Michael Showalter who also directed
the Big Sick (see that if you haven’t).
It’s fairly straightforward and predictable, but not in a bad way. As I have stated before, I do not mind
rom-coms being predictable. It is the one genre where that is perfectly
acceptable. Here, the situation is zany. The chemistry between Issa and Kumail
is good and they are both skilled comedians, so I expected to laugh out loud more
often than I did. As it was, I spent a
good deal of time chuckling, so not complaining.
There’s very few other cast members, Anna Camp and Kyle Bornheimer have just a couple of scenes and everyone else has near-cameos. Paul Sparks plays the cop that they encounter briefly and then set out to find.
The movie does make it clear this is a broad comedy but
could have leaned into that a little harder. It’s a little tough because the very premise
of them going on the run is a result of them not wanting to call the cops,
being two people of color. This is certainly timely and the movie does a good
job of acknowledging it without it being the central theme. The couple experiences one insane situation
after another as they decide solving the murder is the best way to clear their
names and begin to appreciate one another again. Are they any different than the couple who
realized at the beginning they should not be together? No, but being interrogated
in a barn and narrowly escaping a bizarre sex cult does bring people closer
together.
6 out of 10 – Overall, I definitely enjoyed it. However, I can’t
help but wonder how I would have felt if I had seen it in a theater rather than
on Netflix. I think I give streaming movies a little more leeway.
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