Anna Daniels
Still, there’s something to be said for a comedy that throws Rae and Nanjiani, world-class whiner-yellers, together in a tale that requires them to rush from place to place, bickering about strategy and past mistakes when they aren’t hassling the other to sign off on an improvised plan that could make things worse.
How much do you need to know about the conspiracy? Not much if you’ve seen “Game Night,” which was less tortuously plotted but had a similar feel, down the shocking bursts of violence, panicky overlapping dialogue, and hilariously solemn techno-thriller score (by Cliff Martinez in “Game Night” and Michael Andrews here). Or for that matter, any of the modestly budgeted noir-comedies that followed in the wake of Martin Scorsese’s little-seen but ultimately influential “After Hours“—a proud tradition that includes classics like “Something Wild” (a touchstone for Showalter’s 2014 knockabout romantic comedy “They Came Together”).
You know most of the beats that “The Lovebirds” is obligated to hit a long time before it hits them. But it hits them with such confidence, and the stars are so clearly enjoying each other’s company, that this is a mostly enjoyable, sometimes very funny ride. As laid out by screenwriters Aaron Abrams and Brendan Gall, and as directed by Showalter—who has a flair for slapstick violence—the couple accidentally commits a crime that is obliterated by a more serious and frightening crime, which of course they get blamed for because the perpetrator (a corrupt cop, chillingly played by ace character actor Paul Sparks) flees the scene to avoid additional incoming witnesses rather than stick around to kill the two who saw him do the deed.
There are occasional nods to the reality of being a mixed couple, as when they assume a patrolman is giving them the stink-eye because he’s recognized them as suspects in a manhunt, then sigh with relief as they realize he’s a garden-variety racist. But for the the most part, this is a showcase for witty banter and slapstick tomfoolery. Fans of “Game Night” will also be amused, or maybe puzzled, to find that “The Lovebirds” is another R-rated, relationship-based action comedy that’s fixated on Stanley Kubrick’s “Eyes Wide Shut.” There are evil rich people, incriminating photos, rumors of a secret gathering, a police investigation that assumes that the most obvious answer to the puzzle must be correct, and so forth. And creepy masks, because you gotta have those.
— 2019 Hollywood Movie Review
