The Lovebirds is disappointing, sure, but in really mediocre ways. Given the talent of Issa Rae and Kumail Nanjiani in addition to the creativity of the premise, you'd expect The Lovebirds to follow in the footsteps of other films that played with the rom-com genre by mixing action/adventure with more human romantic problems such as Date Night (2010). Unfortunately, there just isn't enough substance to fill a whole movie and all of the best parts of The Lovebirds are in the trailer.

Spoiler Warning: The trailer has all the best parts.

The story is remarkably straightforward despite its extreme absurdity. Leilani (Issa) and Jibran (Kumail) have reached a point in their relationship where the honeymoon has worn off and they are having to now work on the problems blocking them from further growth. At the junction of either fixing their problems or breaking up the two become caught up in a city spanning conspiracy and murder plot where they feel they must solve the crime they were unwittingly dragged into in order to avoid being the prime suspects.

When I say that it's disappointing in a disappointing way, I mean that there just isn't much wrong with the film. The problems most exist in what's missing. The relationship beats feel uninspired and lacking in any real insight into the characters. The jokes are fine, but they're sparse and lack playfulness. Everyone... the cast, the crew, writers, and director all showed up, did their job just fine, and went home. And, there's a part of me that feels like there shouldn't be anything wrong with that, but at the end of the movie I just ended up feeling a little bit empty and like I'd taken nothing away from the experience.

If you're lounging on the couch trying to decide what to watch and you can load it on whatever service you happen to have, The Lovebirds is a perfectly acceptable way to scratch your rom-com itch if you're in the mood for something new. You'll get a couple of laughs and probably won't hate anything about it. Just don't watch the trailer first if you want the best chance for enjoying the film.