Mr. Movie: ‘The Lovebirds’ is a fun, wild journey

Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani star as Leilani and Jibran. Just before a party with friends the always squabbling couple have had enough of each other. The decision is to break up. But before they can part ways, Leilani and Jibran have to go to the party and make nicey-nice with their friends and their guests.

On the way to the event they accidentally hit a bicyclist. Instead of accepting their help, the cyclist leaps up and keeps on riding. As soon as he does, a guy hops in their car, says he’s a cop and takes the wheel. Dodging traffic and driving like a maniac, the so-called cop gives chase. When they catch up with the guy, he runs him over.

Several times.

After going back and forth over his victim, he grabs an envelope the bicyclist was carrying and aims his gun at Leilani and Jibran. Before he can fire, he hears police sirens and runs away.

Leilani and Jibran are naturally in shock. Then some people come upon the scene. They assume Leilani and Jibran are the reason the man is dead in the road. So they run. As it is with romantic comedies like this one, the couple decide their only hope to remain free is to solve the crime.

Their search takes them — and us — on a wild journey.

I’ve loved Nanjiani in everything he’s done. He played things much straighter in the pretty close to real life, “The Big Sick” than he does here, or than he did in “Stuber.” I like him better that way.

In this project and in “Stuber,” when Nanjaini’s characters are under pressure he plays them like a panicky little girl. That’s how he does Jibran. After awhile the little girl bit gets old. If “The Lovebirds” has a negative, it is that part of his performance.

At the same time, and for some reason, it works.

Nanjaini — who is a terrific comedian — also understands the power of deadpan. When not screaming like someone who just found a spider in their hair, Nanjiani delivers his lines in a dull, flat, matter-of-fact way. In comedian terms, he’s the straightman.

Traditionally, the straightman sets up the laughs. Ironically, and though he’s the straightman, Nanjaini’s lines are the film’s funniest. The contrast and what seems like a contradiction is another reason the film works.

Rae — who picked up Golden Globe and Prime Time Emmy nominations for TV’s “Insecure” — is electric. She is not only an exceptional actress but she practically owns the word charismatic. Rae plays Jibran’s rock and serves as the film’s anchor. Though the plot revolves around the two of them, Rae owns the movie.

To put it another way, Rae is a scene stealer supreme and steals all of the scenes she shares with Nanjiani and the other actors. She is the number-one reason to see “The Lovebirds.”

That said, Rae and Nanjaini are not acting in a vacuum. They benefit from the short and sweet storytelling of Michael Showalter who directed Nanjiani’s Oscar-nominated work in “The Big Sick.” Also helpful is a pretty good screenplay from relative unknowns Aaron Abrams and Brendan Gail.

Showalter and the two writers give the two actors snappy dialogue that adds to their chemistry. Everyone involved in the film is having fun. Nanjaini and Rae are obviously having the most fun and while you won’t totally love “The Lovebirds,” and this isn’t the most movie fun you’ll have this year, it’s not bad.

▪ Rated R for language and mature themes. You can find “The Lovebirds” on Netflix.

▪ Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5

This story was originally published May 28, 2020 at 2:55 PM with the headline "Mr. Movie: ‘The Lovebirds’ is a fun, wild journey."