A couple experiences the wildest night of their lives as they
accidentally get involved in a murder mystery on date night. COMEDY/CRIME
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The Lovebirds (2020)Directed by Michael Showalter
Written by Brendan Gall and Aaron Abrams Starring Kumail Nanjiani, Issa Rae, Paul Sparks |
The Lovebirds was supposed to be released theatrically on April 3rd, but due to the pandemic closing theaters everywhere, the film’s rights were sold to Netflix and released on May 22nd. I think this film would’ve done pretty well in theaters because the marketing was good and the timing was good. A bunch of films are breathing a different life than they intended to but that’s just how 2020 is going so far. I am very grateful that things are able to move so quickly and we still get an opportunity to see some of the new releases through streaming.
The Lovebirds starts out with a lovely introduction to the relationship between Jibran and Leilani as they meet and begin dating. Right after that, a title card shows “four years later” with Jibran and Leilani arguing as they are about to leave for a dinner party. On the way there, they talk about breaking up and then witness a gruesome murder. Leilani runs and Jibran follows as they flee a crime scene and embark on the craziest night of their lives, testing their survival skills and their relationship. Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae have serious skill when it comes to modern comedy. It’s not easy to make people laugh out loud like it was years ago when it felt like there were no rules. They provide a chemistry in The Lovebirds that is so believable even though the story itself is pretty predictable and redundant. I don’t love every move this film makes because I’ve seen it before, but I really enjoyed Kumail and Issa’s banter and I gotta say they make a pretty cute couple. Paul Sparks is a Filmgazm favorite at this point and he is so fucking serious in this film that it made me laugh. I adore his commitment no matter what the scale of the film is. Michael Showalter gave us The Big Sick a couple years ago so it’s okay that this isn’t a gem, because it’s still entertaining. |