“The Lovebirds” presents an intriguing story, struggles to keep audiences’ attention

Penelope Misceo

May 27, 2020

Exec arts editor

 

“The Lovebirds” presents an intriguing story, struggles to keep audiences’ attention

 

Although the film is constructed with a unique plot, “The Lovebirds” has the fatal flaw of struggling to hold the attention of its audience. 

 

“The Lovebirds” thrives with strong acting and endearing character connection and makes admirable efforts to tell an interesting story. The film, while full of potential, struggles in its murky execution and overall lack of entertainment value. 

 

 Released on May 22, “The Lovebirds” is directed by Michael Showalter. The film stars Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae as a couple on the brink of a breakup. 

 

The story follows Leilani (Rae) and Jibran (Nanjiani), a bickering couple living in New Orleans. While the two are clearly headed for a break-up, they accidentally get entangled into a murder mystery, causing them to put their relationship problems on hold and participate in a series of adventures to get themselves out of trouble. 

 

An undeniably charming aspect of the film is its strong character dynamics. Rae and Nanjiani have good chemistry and play their roles in a relatable, realistic way. While the two share some strong emotional moments, they stand out most in their ability to be strong comedic scene partners, bouncing jokes off of each other perfectly. 

 

Another positive feature of “The Lovebirds” is its smart pacing. Although enthralled in some intense action scenes, the film is a romantic comedy at heart, and its short runtime of 1 hour and 27 minutes serves it well. The plot develops quickly, allowing the audience to follow the storyline with ease. 

 

The film falters overall in its struggle to truly entertain its viewer. All the components of a strong, fun watch are there, but these factors don’t seem to fit together cohesively, even if there are occasional entertaining moments. The acting is note-worthy and the story is fun, but there are too many missed opportunities for “The Lovebirds” to be the delightful experience it has the potential for. 

 

While “The Lovebirds” makes a strong effort to tell a special story and includes a strong cast, it struggles to keep the attention of its audience as a whole. While including some fun comedic scenes and strong chemistry between its characters, the film just misses the mark of being an engaging watch.