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The Covid-19 Pandemic might’ve been favorable for The Lovebirds. You’re not going out and paying the price of a movie ticket x 2 for you and your date to see it as was originally planned. Instead, you’re catching it at home. It’s a mostly effective comedy that for the price of… 0$ (kinda) is a pleasant way to kill time.

Jibran (Kaumail Nanjiani) and Leilani (Issa Rae) are arguing on their way to a party when they witness a mustached man (Paul Sparks) murder a cyclist. Believing the police will pin them as the murderers, the couple decides to exonerate themselves by solving the crime.

The material given to Nanjiani and Rae is not that strong. While it’s funny to see the two bicker about the kind of inconsequential topics that bother only couples who have been in a strained relationship for years, it doesn’t take long before they become annoying. No matter how crazy their situation gets, they just keep talking and arguing and talking and arguing. You want something heavy to fall on one of their heads so they’ll shut up. Even just a few minutes of silence would be sweet. It’s too bad. Together, they’re so good. Both performers play off each other effortlessly. You instantly believe them as a couple and the moments of them at their happiest make you want to see them patch things up… but this would also mean a lot of the two of them talking and that, you could do without.

Rae and Nanjiani are both fully committed to their parts, delivering lines that confirm these characters are more than just overwhelmed by the murder they’ve witnessed, they’re stupid. That’d be fine if the movie was smart. When they’re forced to interrogate or lie on the fly to get the answers they need, these two dummies can’t get anything right. When the people around them acknowledge this, you’re in stitches. When they talk nonsense and no one bats an eye, it makes you wonder if their stupidity is intentional or not. Towards the film's end, things just stop making sense; as if everyone looked at the clock and said “well we’ve had some laughs so let’s just wrap it up quick”. There are several jokes that miss but overall the film works so there was no need to rush out.

We’ve seen both Rae and Nanjiani excel when placed in straightforward romances and struggle in comedies but it's always been clear they could excel in both genres if they had the right script. The Lovebirds is a big missed opportunity because they’re so good together. Enough you kind of wouldn’t mind someone taking a second shot at this scenario. The moments that work are that good. (June 30, 2020)