Jibran and Leilani have just come to the conclusion that their relationship is over when they suddenly find themselves prime suspects in a murder. Determined to find the real murderer and clear their name, Jibran and Leilan follow the clues all over New Orleans while re-evaluating their feelings for one another and what made them fall in love in the first place.
The Lovebirds is a prime example of stale material made fresh by its talent. Michael Showalter has already proven himself a more than capable director in this genre and I feel like he excels even further when he’s given an incredible script to work with, like The Big Sick. Unfortunately, there’s nothing incredible or even original aboutThe Lovebirds. Instead, it feels like a hodgepodge of other movies and I came away from it calling it Date Night lite with a touch of Eyes Wide Shut. It’s a very by the book romantic comedy that clearly yearns to be more but just falls short.
As Jibran and Leilani begin to unravel the murder mystery, which eventually includes a sex cult and Congressmen, it feels like the movie is building up to what will undoubtedly be a hilarious climax that will tie up all of the crazy loose ends. All I can say is lower your expectations. The last twenty minutes felt like the screenwriters had no idea how to wrap up the movie and so it feels rushed and lacking. I wanted more and perhaps something not so easy.
That being said, I still enjoyed the hell out of (most of) it. Why? Because of its stars, Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani. They are perfectly matched for this kind of movie and Showalter is the perfect choice to direct them. Not all of the jokes land, but Rae and Nanjiani exude enough chemistry and comedic timing to make even the more forced situations work. The rest of the cast are nothing more than stock characters that don’t really add much to the movie and to be honest, there’s nothing overly interesting about Jibran and Leilani either other than the fact that they’re played by Rae and Nanjiani. They’re two of the more exciting and talented actors out there today and I hope to see them in more leading roles. Preferably with a stronger script that will really showcase what they can do.
