The Lovebirds Review

Although I didn't write a review for it, or tell anyone in fact, I was one of the few to see The Photograph in cinemas. I must confess after having seen it I had gone for a more pleasant experience such as bashing myself in the head for a couple hours. The film was very bland and forgettable and particularly hard to follow. Although I perhaps found this more the case as I might've fallen asleep during the film, hence any assessment of it should be taken with a grain of salt. Either way, one of the things that I remembered being surprisingly unremarkable was Issa Rae's performance as the female lead, inspiring even little out of her very talented on-screen partner LaKeith Stanfield.

As such having left the screen I found the idea of seeing Issa Rae unlikely unless she can vastly improve her abilities she will remain an unremarkable actress. So of course I was surprised to see that she already had another movie in the works! The Lovebirds, also starring Kumail Nanjiani.

The Lovebirds is about a couple in a struggling relationship who witness a murder and must hide from the police wishing to question them. In an attempt to clear their names they go on a wild adventure whilst trying to avoid a mysterious assassin.

Normally, even bad films I see I can follow along without getting particularly enraged. Cats and My Spy didn't get a physical or verbal reaction out of me despite being objectively awful movies. The Lovebirds however, me frequently shouting: "Are you stupid?!" and "Why?!"

Needless to say, I didn't like the film.

Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae in The Lovebirds

The Lovebirds is entirely based on a huge mistake and error that the film fails to properly cover. Why don't they just go to the police?

The film wants you to forget about CCTV cameras, witnesses and fingerprints for the conflict to happen. When I watched the film I thought they were going to call the police, but instead the leads both get out of their car and stare at the dead body. Inevitably, instead of the police car used to scare away the actual murderer finding the body, two random pedestrians see the three of them. They naturally assume they murdered him, and phone the police with the two alleged murderers right in front of them, under no restrain.

I could say at least the idiocy of our leads is shared by every other character in the film. As mentioned the people who call the police just stand next to the 'murderers'. But also the Assassin clearly doesn't care about leaving massive trails for the police and still he manages to be impossible to catch. Not to mention the police's lack of anything.

The characters even have no chemistry and there's no real character arc that either of them go on. They're both the same characters at the end of the film as they are at the beginning.

Issa Rae cannot act. In both The Photograph and this film she doesn't play a character with any kind of personality and for a comedy she never even makes me crack a smile. Kumail Nanjiani was also shocking dull in this film. It was if he was playing a laid back, contained version of himself. As much as I hate her, Tiffany Haddish would've been a far greater choice for Issa Rae's role. Haddish portrays idiotic, larger than life characters and Issa... can't act... I almost can't blame Nanjiani for being unremarkable because he had nothing to go off!

Issa Rae and LaKeith Stanfield in The Photgraph released earlier this year.

In case you didn't pick up what I'm trying to say, this film is very unremarkable. Once this review is posted I shouldn't have to think about it again until the annual Best/Worst of the year. The film lacks any jokes that could cause a smile, or even a light chuckle. Most of the jokes come down to the leads stating the obvious or making just a statement. Without wishing to spoil much, there's a scene where they watch an orgy and they comment about how the people are really getting into it.

Even if I loved this movie, I would definitely tell you this is not a joke. It doesn't add anything being there, it's just two people describing what's happening. and that's 90% of this film.

Spoilers

The film's conclusion with both of the leads getting back into the relationship that was clearly dysfunctional is particularly unsatisfying. Without any real connection or effort being put into the characters' relationship this doesn't feel like a satisfactory reward for them. And I again found myself shouting at my phone as the assassin drives off with our leads, little care for any witnesses or care for the police actually investigating. Also the inclusion of a secret sex cult existed entirely for a red herring and served no real purpose before or after its introduction.

Spoiler free from here

All in all, I must seriously question the writers and director's ability to make a film. At least in The Photograph and many other bad films there's some redeemable qualities in the story or performances. In The Lovebirds there's nothing I can take from it. The plot requires a far more thorough read-through and lacks any creative flair. The directing is practically non-existent and the acting could be done by hundreds of other people, especial up-and-comers!

There's nothing to enjoy about the film and if you genuinely enjoyed it I certainly hope the brain transplant goes well. Feel free to ask any questions on any of my social medias, I'll do my best to answer any questions asked.