Felt the movie "squandered the appeal" of its stars with a plot that felt both "frantic and lazy" [5].
: One of the film's most memorable and discussed "bits" involves Nanjiani’s character, Jibran, going on a long-winded rant about the logic of the "extra" dollop of milkshake served in a metal shaker at diners [6, 18]. The Lovebirds
: Reviewers at RogerEbert.com noted that the film breaks the classic "straight man/goofball" formula. Instead of one partner being the anchor, both Rae and Nanjiani play the "Bob Hope" part—blabbering, panic-prone "doofuses" who say the wrong thing at the worst possible time [11]. Felt the movie "squandered the appeal" of its
Praised it as a "delightful screwball comedy" where the "rat-tat-tat of the zings" matters more than the actual plot [6]. Instead of one partner being the anchor, both
While initially intended for a theatrical release, The Lovebirds (2020) became one of the first major films to pivot directly to Netflix during the 2020 pandemic lockdowns [33]. This transition cemented its reputation as a "breezy" and "fleeting" streaming delight, though critics were deeply divided on whether its charm came from the script or the sheer magnetism of its leads [22, 25].
Critiqued it as a "staunchly average" movie that feels "algorithmically designed," though noting the leads do their best to carry it [15].