'The Big Sick' Review

Nominated For: Best Original Screenplay.

The Big Sick is a romantic comedy that tells the true love story between Pakistani comedian Kumail and local American grad student Emily. The two meet at one of his stand-up sets and as their relationship blossoms, Kumail grows increasingly concerned about how his traditional Pakistani family will react when they learn about the interracial relationship. However, things take a turn for the worse when Emily falls ill and has to be placed into a medically-induced coma. Kumail then grows close to Emily's paranoid parents through an eye-opening experience. 

Anyone that knows me could probably guess rom-coms aren't exactly my forte, my strong suits are simply spread across the sci-fi, action-adventure, and musical genres. In actuality, I don't even think I've even reviewed a rom-com before (Yep, I just scrolled through the "Move Reviews" page of my blog and was unable to find a single trace of one) and I legitimately can't remember the last good romantic comedy I've seen. I mention this because I feel it's important that my readers understand my mind-set walking into this film. I went out on a limb and saw The Big Sick because I'd seen how great the reviews for it had been. I hadn't seen a single trailer or even heard of the film till the weekend of its limited release, but I'm really glad I gave the indie (independent) rom-com a chance.

The Big Sick, like last year's Manchester By The Sea (also distributed by Amazon Studios), is one of the most realistic films I've seen of late. Nothing in The Big Sick felt hopelessly contrived to reel in the audience's attention. Every aspect was actually incredibly authentic, which is probably because the screenplay was written by the real-life couple upon which this film is based (merely updated to fit the modern day), Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani. 

Michael Showalter directs the low budget rom-com with a hands-off approach. There's not really any distinct directorial flourishes because the shining star of this film is its screenplay. The Big Sick is one of the funniest movies I've seen this year that also isn't afraid to tackle real-world topics such as racial profiling, interracial relationships, or even 9/11. It's all about the obstacles life puts in front of humanity and struggling to find a way around those. One reason that The Big Sick feels hauntingly real is that everything's easy-going at first before an abrupt tonal shift changes everything. 

The Big Sick also functions well as a romantic-comedy because it's equally endearing, hilarious, and serious. Showalter walks the tonal tight-rope with poise as the film never veers too far in one direction to completely undermine all the groundwork that's been lain. Rather than shy away from humor in the film's heaviest moments, The Big Sick sharpens its satirical wits to interject believable comic situations for the characters to traverse. The Big Sick isn't without its pacing problems or some seemingly cliché characterization with the portrayal of Kumail's family, but I'm not sure the story could have been told in the same manner without those adversities. 

 

Kumail Nanjiani plays himself and naturally knows himself better than anyone else possibly could, so  it's no surprise he was great in the role. Nanjiani is not the typical leading man, he's incredibly awkward. He doesn't display a dashing, debonair demeanor, but rather a sense of uncomfortableness in his daily life. Nanjiani excels in that niche, but also really impressed me by exhibiting a delicate and intense emotional angle I wasn't expecting to see.

Zoe Kazan fills in for the real-life Emily and exudes a quirky charm which the audience will be hard-pressed not to enjoy. The chemistry between the two actors also really solidified the relationship as it becomes instantly understandable that the two characters are fated to be with one another. 

Holly Hunter and Ray Romano step in as Emily's parents Beth and Terry and their dynamic opposite Kumail is one of the film's highlights. Hunter projects a fierce tough exterior to cover her sensitive side and she switched between the two polar-personalities incredibly well. In other news, I cannot stress to you enough just how funny Ray Romano is in this movie. Romano channels an unsure exuberance that lends itself well to the quips his character throws out of left field. The dialogue that came out his mouth had me dying of laughter and I simply couldn't get enough of it. 

If The Big Sick is playing near you, I highly advise you check it out. I know there's other films out well worth-seeing right now such as Spider-Man: Homecoming, War for the Planet of the Apes, Dunkirk, and my personal favorite of the year Baby Driver, but if you've already seen those, I think The Big Sick would make a great date movie. The Big Sick wasn't the critical darling I was expecting,, but I found The Big Sick to be particularly pleasant, and my opinion of it has only improved over the last few days. 

Film Assessment: B+