A bickering couple are forced to run for their lives in Michael Showalter’s likably lewd screwball crime caper
Creating unforgettable cinema isn’t easy, but neither is creating forgettable cinema: goofy, likable
comedy of the sort that slides through your mind, leaving behind that most easily patronised of movie effects: a good feeling. The Lovebirds, from screenwriter Aaron Abrams and director Michael Showalter, is like this, a wacky romcom romp (rompcom?) showcasing a bizarre, spoofy twist on Kubrick’s Eyes Wide Shut. It’s something you might watch on a plane. Right now, that’s no putdown: an unappreciated comfort from happier times.
Kumail Nanjiani and Issa Rae play Jibran and Leilani, two young professionals in New Orleans who hooked up three years before the action begins, moved in together shortly afterwards and found that their relationship began to deteriorate.