The Lovebirds (2020)

[Empress1]

When the trailer came out I thought to myself that I would see it in the theater, but of course that's not happening now. It dropped on Netflix on Friday 5/22.

I thought it was cute! I thought Kumail and Issa had good chemistry, and there were some genuinely funny moments. The orgy scene when Issa said "You know, I don't hate this" cracked me up. I also found it really funny that the first big fight we see them have is about whether they'd do well on The Amazing Race. 

[Spartan Girl]

I liked it too, but it's a shame it didn't get a chance at the box office.

You had to laugh that even though they had legit reasons not to just turn themselves in and explain everything, they found out in the end that the police knew all along that they were innocent.

[Empress1]

5 minutes ago, Spartan Girl said:

I liked it too, but it's a shame it didn't get a chance at the box office.

You had to laugh that even though they had legit reasons not to just turn themselves in and explain everything, they found out in the end that the police knew all along that they were innocent.

I laughed when they were talking over each other with relief when the cops told them they knew they were innocent, and then the chief was like " ... You know what, y'all go home and get some sleep." Actually, they talked over each other a lot and it was usually funny.

[Guest]

This was pretty meh plot-wise, which is disappointing because I was super excited to see Kumail and Issa as a couple. I felt like there was a distinct lack of romance for a (sort of) romcom - I live vicariously through tension and sap - so two brief kiss scenes were very underwhelming given they were bickering the rest of the film. I also feel like they suffered from basically being the only protagonists (weird that all of their friends were basically glorified extras with two scenes) because they didn't have anyone else to play off of and basically every scene of dialogue was [argue] [throwaway line that shows the other person they care] [lingering feelings] [look away]. The last half hour really dragged too.

Some funny lines ("I think you've killed the perfect number of people") but overall felt like the studio was coasting on Kumail/Issa's star power and also that the actors themselves were phoning it in. Game Night is a much better, funnier spin on couples accidentally getting involved in crimes.

The funniest moment was them accidentally giving their names to the hipsters reporting them to the police. 

[Irlandesa]

I liked the first 1/3 or maybe 1/2 but the last bit dragged. 

And Issa and Kumail had zero romantic chemistry, IMO.  I thought their vibe improved throughout the movie but then when they kissed again at the end----nope.  Still no romantic chem.

And I felt like I was watching the actors, if that makes any sense.  Not that actors themselves but the actors playing the characters that are based on themselves.  To me, Leilani and Jibran were interchangeable with Issa as "Issa" from Insecure and Kumail as "Kumail" from The Big Sick. But I like both comedians enough that it was worth watching.

[tennisgurl]

The plot itself was kind of convoluted and a bit half baked, but I love Kumail and Issa and I could watch them just getting into hijinks all day long. I am always a sucker for "normal people get dragged into some kind of criminal conspiracy" plot, and I loved the ending where it turns out the cops never thought they were guilty and were looking for them as witnesses and not suspects, because, yeah, security cameras are everywhere. I especially loved the two cops watching them through the interrogation glass and commenting on their relationship. 

"I like them as a couple, I dont think they should break up." 

"Fucking relationships." 

[topanga]

I really enjoyed this. Issa and Kumail are hilarious and played off each other well.

And I agree that the plot was convoluted, but it led to some funny scenes. 

As far as their romance goes: I like the idea of them being together more than the execution of it. Black woman and East Indian man: has that coupling ever happened in a move? But I can see Issa and Kumail as long-time best friends who might have had a drunken romp in college but quickly realized they're better as friends than lovers. 

 

[Amethyst]

Although I would have liked to see this in theaters, I don't know if it would have gotten a lot of money in the overall BO.  It's a movie that lives and dies on the leads, because while they're charming, the plot is so generic.  This was perfect for Netflix, it's cute, funny, and re-watchable. 

Issa and Kumail did have great chemistry, even if it wasn't always romantic.  The orgy was the funniest part.  I was expecting something a lot more sinister.

Not to nit-pick, but if the detective was trying to find the couple all night, she could have just tracked their credit cards.  Leilani and Jibran took several Lyft/Uber rides, not to mention the ratty clothes they bought from the discount store.