The Love Birds movie review

MOVIE TITLE: The Lovebirds

RATING: R

LENGTH: 1 hour, 26 minutes

Movie Review Mom GRADE: B-

IN A NUTSHELL:

If you’re ready for a Date Night but still quarantining, THE LOVEBIRDS is now on Netflix and will give you that rom-com fix you’ve been looking for. The screwball comedy was directed by Michael Showalter, who also did the hugely popular The Big Sick, which also starred Kumail Nanjiani.

TIPS FOR PARENTS:

Profanity
Talk of orgies and a brief scene that demonstrates one, although you didn’t see much up close. Still, it’s enough that kids might ask you what’s happening. Awkward!
Several laws are broken.
The leading characters make really terrible decisions.
A lot of fighting and bickering over dumb things. Talk to your kids about that and commit to demonstrate to your kids what a healthy relationship looks like with good communication.
An unmarried couple is living together.

THEMES:

Love
Persistence
Communication
Relationships

THINGS I LIKED:

The two leads are both likable and have some great romantic and comedic chemistry together. Kumail Nanjiani always makes me laugh. I’m a fan. I don’t think I had seen Issa Rae in anything before, but I’m an instant fan now. She’s really terrific. A lot of the scenes feel like they were improvised.
I’m not sure if that’s good or bad but attests to the leading pair’s ability for comedic timing.
I loved the way Kumail looked at Issa Rae in some of the scenes…very sweet.
It’s over the top and ridiculous…and hilarious.
Some of the jokes are really clever.
Most bi-racial couples shown on the Big Screen have usually included one white person, but this film showcases two other races. That’s a big deal for Hollywood.
I liked Anna Camp a lot in the Pitch Perfect franchise, so I’m always happy to see her pop up in other things. (The Pitch Perfect franchise is one of my guilty pleasures.) I’d like to see her be successful. She’s really the only other actor I recognized in this movie.
Paramount Pictures was going to release the movie in theaters but decided to release it directly to Netflix due to the Covid-19 theater closures. I’m grateful to studios who haven’t made us wait for their films.

THINGS I DIDN’T LIKE:

Not all of the jokes land.
Some of the scenes looked cheaply made.
Some critics say this movie is a blatant rip-off of Date Night. The two films are very different movies with very different budgets, but if you like one, you’ll probably like the other. However, they’re both somewhat forgettable. Personally, I liked Game Night the best.
The on-screen kiss was…not great. Kind of weird, actually.

FUNNY LINES:

* “I’m calling to report a murder or whatever.” – Mrs. Hipster (Catherine Cohen)

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