‘The Lovebirds’ shine, the movie not so much | Netflix review

The Lovebirds follows a failing couple who find themselves on the run after witnessing a murder that ropes them into a criminal enterprise

Quick cut: When The Lovebirds gives Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani room to exercise their mastery in comedic timing and delivery it is enormously enjoyable, but the simplistic plot and uninspired writing leaves this crime comedy grounded.

★★★

There’s something about putting a couple at the center of a crime comedy that just works. Whether it’s an actual couple—like in Game Night or Date Night—or a mismatched buddy cop pairing—The Nice Guys or The Other Guys (at least they’re consistent). And perhaps the real reason they work is that the actors in the lead roles have the chemistry and comedic chops to make even the weakest material work. Such is the case with Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani in Netflix’s The Lovebirds, which reunites Nanjiani with his The Big Sick director Michael Showalter.

Rae and Nanjiani play Leilani and Jibran who at the start of the mov…