Movie Review: The Lovebirds

Netflix's deep pockets and desire to put out as much content as possible has made them an ideal life raft for projects that had their theatrical release plans altered by the pandemic. The first of these acquisitions, the Issa Rae/Kumail Nanjiani-led comedy The Lovebirds that was previously set to be distributed by Paramount, hit the service last Friday and proved to be another quality addition to their increasingly impressive original film library.

Rae and Nanjiani play a New Orleans couple that's dangerously close to breaking up after 4 years together that suddenly become on-the-run fugitives after a man claiming to be a cop (Paul Sparks) commanders their vehicle and uses it to kill a man (Nicolas X. Parsons) that they coincidentally already hit with their car earlier in the evening. In an attempt to clear their names after fleeing the scene in a panic following a misunderstanding with another couple (Catherine Cohen, Barry Rothbart) that finds the body, they have to play amateur detectives and end up stumbling upon a seedy underworld in their city that they never knew existed.

As much as it could've benefited from further embracing the zaniness of its premise, Rae and Nanjiani do more than enough to make The Lovebirds work. At just 87 minutes (with credits) and no significant supporting characters to aid them, these two are tasked with handling the brunt of the comedic load and they pull it off with confident ease. Whether its arguing about restaurants, trying to talk their way out of being tortured or intimidating fratboys for information, each of their quick-witted exchanges has a natural rhythm that makes their banter (and partnership) feel completely believable. Setting up two talented, well-matched comedians with a string of situations where the improv opportunities are abundant is a pretty foolproof plan to make a comedy that hits the right notes.

There's definitely nitpicks to be had (the romantic aspect of Rae and Nanjiani's dynamic isn't as convincing as the comedic one, some lulls in the laughs department around the halfway point, the aforementioned restraint when it comes to digging into the crazier developments in its plot) that prevent it from reaching its full potential, but none of them are enough to stop The Lovebirds from being a breezy watch with some soaring comedic peaks and a proper showcase for two of the industry's most justifiably buzzed-about rising stars. It was honestly just nice to be able to watch a project that was set to be released earlier in the year actually set the light of the day amidst all of the disheartening craziness that the world is currently going through. Lord knows we need some laughs in 2020 and The Lovebirds certainly does it part in delivering them.    
 
Grade: B