Madison Messenger - May 31st, 2020

PAGE 4 - MADISON MESSENGER - May 31, 2020
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Actors’ improv makes ‘e Lovebirds’ enjoyable
So many movies have little to no premise.
yet sometimes they go on to garner critical
acclaim.
For the most part, these films can be forgiven
for their missing, meandering or convoluted
logic, but they must have off-setting
factors that make them watchable, if not
downright enjoyable.
“The Lovebirds” is one of these films. It
has a thin plot that unravels and veers into
slapstick territory but it also has two
sparkling leads that make the film watchable,
if not downright enjoyable.
A few years prior to the film’s release,
Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae were not on
Hollywood’s radar as a leading role material.
They got bit parts here and there, but
no studio was willing to give them a chance
to break out in their own vehicle. Then they
did what older actors have to do in order to
be seen; they produced their own projects
and cast themselves in the main roles.
For Rae, her mainstream breakout came
in 2016 when the television show, “Insecure,”
started to air on HBO. As for Nanjiani,
his came the following year with “The
Big Sick,” a loose retelling of his relationship
with his now wife who was gravely ill
CONGRATULATIONS
KENNEDI MARIOTH
Class of 2020
Central Crossing High School
at the time.
Since then, the two have been proving
they have that factor that can draw in a
crowd, and “The Lovebirds” proves that point
as it is currently the most watched streaming
movie. The film itself, which is a romantic
comedy/action adventure hybrid, is not that
great but the improvisational skills and the
nuanced facial expressions of this comedic
duo propel even the dullest moments forward.
If it were not for these two and their
fun chemistry, “The Lovebirds” would not
have been such an entertaining escape.
In the film, Nanjiani and Rae portray Jibran
and Leilani, a long-term couple privately
mulling whether to go their separate
ways. We see them at their first blush of
love—flirting, laughter at everything, making
joking compliments—and then it flashes
forward to the blush of utter annoyance.
After four years together, they are arguing
about the smallest things: the time it
takes to get ready, social media usage, secretive
work projects and whether or not
they could win “The Amazing Race.” They
reach a breaking point. As they are driving
to a dinner party of a recently engaged
friend, they decide to end their relationship.
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Before the sheer awkwardness and reality
of the moment can fully sink in, Nanjiani
accidentally hits a cyclist with his car.
While checking on the slightly injured but
otherwise alert biker, their vehicle is commandeered
by a police officer who proceeds
to chase the cyclist down and run him over.
Believing they will be the prime suspects
in this crime—Leilani does not trust the cops
will buy their story as she is black and Jibran
is Pakistani with “a murderous beard
and murderous brows”—they decide they
will have to solve the mystery themselves
despite having no experience whatsoever.
Following clues in the bicyclist’s phone,
the two uncover a dark plot that takes them
through the underbelly of the wealthiest in
New Orleans and puts them into scenes
right out of Stanley Kubrick’s bizarre film,
“Eyes Wide Shut.” Now, with the cops and
an entire secret society on their tails, the recently
broken-up couple has to put aside
their petty arguments and simmering annoyances
to save each other’s lives.
The script, written by Aaron Abrams and
Brendan Gall, is easily the weakest point of
the movie as it struggles to advance and exthe
reel deal
by Dedra Cordle
plain an already
thin premise. Based
on the plot alone,
the viewer isn’t excepting
much in the
way of realism, but
it didn’t help that
the writing team
completely dropped any notion of following
threads near the end.
As stated above, what saves “The Lovebirds”
from the script is Nanjiani and Rae,
who improvise most of their lines and add
subtle expressions of longing and loathing
as they portray a couple on the brink. It is
their chemistry, skill, talent and personalities
that make this movie one to catch on
Netflix.
Grade: B-
Dedra Cordle is a Messenger staff writer
and columnist.
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