Monday Movie Review: The Lovebirds
I really, really miss going to the movies, y’all. Like I included it in my perfect first day of post quarantine life I miss it so bad. I also know it’s probably going to be a while before I get to see anything on the big screen and it sucks. But one thing that’s making it somewhat bearable is the release of some of the movies I was most looking forward to on streaming platforms. I’ve had The Lovebirds on my must see list ever since I saw the first trailer, so I was super stoked to see it available on Netflix, and boy did I need this movie. I haven’t laughed so hard in a really long time and it felt awesome.
Leilani (Issa Rae) and Jibran (Kumail Nanjiani) have been together for four years, and their relationship has hit peak rockiness. On their way over to a friend’s dinner party, they break up in the car. Which is a considerable distraction while driving so it makes sense when Jibran crashes into a biker. The couple tries to help the biker, but he pushes them away and rides off on his bike, fleeing from some kind of trouble. So when a man approaches their car and says he’s a cop, Jibran hands over the wheel and the pair assists in the chase. Only they quickly figure out the man is not a cop when he hits the biker and runs him over repeatedly until he is most assuredly dead. Leilani and Jibran flee from the scene, knowing it will look like they killed the man, and not having a lot of faith in the police to listen to their wild sounding explanation. They decide the only way to clear their names is to find the real killer, so they head out to catch a murderer, running into all kinds of hijinx along the way. In the end, their names are cleared, and through their tumultuous day, they’ve manged to rediscover their love for each other.
This movie is the absolute perfect antidote to the quarantine blues. It was light, it was funny, the story was interesting, and there was a happy ending. There are some truly fabulous moments between Issa and Kumail that made my romance heart so happy. And the one-liners were on point. At one point Leilani calls this white frat boy Date Rape McGee and I cried laughing. Seriously, if you are in need of a little boost, this is the perfect movie to put on. I will be turning to this one again and again in the coming days (weeks, months) when I need a good giggle fest.
Overall Grade: A+
