Lovebirds is Great Talent, Not a Great Movie

Led by Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani, The Lovebirds was meant to have a big screen release before the pandemic attacked. Their options are the two that each Hollywood movie has had to make since March, deciding between a delayed release or moving to video-on-demand. In an audible, right to The Lovebirds was bought by Netflix, presumably the company banking on the names of its stars to drive attention and add to its growing list of successful movies. And by standards of commercial success (or Netflix traffic, as mysterious as it may be), The Lovebirds will serve its purpose of adding the credibility that A-list Hollywood actors offer. As a comedy though, The Lovebirds will leave you grateful you were able to stream it with an already-paid-for password rather than shelling out $15 or more for a theater seat. The strength of the film lies in their banter, as Rae and Nanjiani are as charming and cute as you would expect. Directed by Michael Showalter from Nanjiani’s The Big Sick, small laughs come easily from a clear chemistry seen best in the subtle comments tucked into Rae and Nanjiani’s overlapping bickering. Larger laughs are few and far between, with most of the film’s biggest laugh bait spent in its trailer: driving over a biker, interrogating a frat boy, being kicked by a horse. The plot is equally straightforward in its own silly way: when their red-hot romance turns sour after four years of dating, Leilani (Rae) and Jibran (Nanjiani) begin to fall in love again after bein…