In an age where xenophobia and racism continue to climb up out of the mire, it can be easy to forget about the healing and connective power of love - of a romantic comedy. Well, of a romantic comedy with a medically-induced coma.
Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani doesn't just star in The Big Sick - and he didn't just co-write it, either. Along with his wife, writer Emily V. Gordon, they pretty much lived it. And as comedies go, it ought to be right up next to Lady Bird as one of the most refreshing and realistically hilarious movies in years.
Playing a character also called Kumail, who's deadpanning his way into a stand-up comedy career, Nanjiani is doing his act when a woman in the audience tries to get his attention. A whirlwind first night leads to cautious dating - very cautious on Kumail's part, forever dodging his Muslim parents' attempts to nudge him into an arranged marriage. Many of the delights of The Big Sick are best discovered unprepared, but the character of Emily (a delightful Zoe Kazan), does suddenly become very ill. Suddenly Kumail is dealing with Emily's parents, wonderfully played by Holly Hunter and Ray Romano.
Director Michael Showalter (Hello, My Name is Doris) does a splendid job of staging small, intimate scenes between Emily and Kumail that feel natural and spontaneous. Kumail is a challenging guy, and part of the magic of The Big Sick is that their evolving relationship is so much smarter than the typical rom-com formula. They behave like real people, not formulaic "types." They screw up and make mistakes. They say the wrong things. And life's timing can be truly confounding.
Kumail Nanjiani is hilarious, and a real find. He does a fantastic job here, and it must have been incredibly challenging to write and perform a retelling of one of the most transformative periods of your own life. I loved how Kumail can't resist making comedy out of something, even in sometimes inopportune moments. The tone of The Big Sick isn't always rom-com either. These people went through a lot, and Hunter and Romano are wonderful as two parents dealing with their own problems, who are completely unsure of how to deal with Kumail's eccentric presence in their lives.
The Big Sick is refreshingly real and open at portraying family culture clash. There's virtually no exposition, and Kumail's dilemma of honoring his family while trying to stay true to his own life is something you don't have to be an immigrant to appreciate. Race may be a big deal when it comes to revealing your relationship to family, but between two people who are beginning to feel something together, not so much.
I should probably shut up, already. But see this movie. There's a reason Gordon and Nanjiani were nominated for Best Original Screenplay. The dialogue and characters here are fantastic, real gems. And the timing of a story that just realistically shows the angst of cultural differences amidst the normal uncertainty of dating, life and the unknown, is incredibly refreshing. These are the kinds of new voices we need in film, and watching The Big Sick was a great experience, and gave me a real dose of hope - take as often as needed. Available to stream on Amazon.
Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani doesn't just star in The Big Sick - and he didn't just co-write it, either. Along with his wife, writer Emily V. Gordon, they pretty much lived it. And as comedies go, it ought to be right up next to Lady Bird as one of the most refreshing and realistically hilarious movies in years.
Playing a character also called Kumail, who's deadpanning his way into a stand-up comedy career, Nanjiani is doing his act when a woman in the audience tries to get his attention. A whirlwind first night leads to cautious dating - very cautious on Kumail's part, forever dodging his Muslim parents' attempts to nudge him into an arranged marriage. Many of the delights of The Big Sick are best discovered unprepared, but the character of Emily (a delightful Zoe Kazan), does suddenly become very ill. Suddenly Kumail is dealing with Emily's parents, wonderfully played by Holly Hunter and Ray Romano.
Director Michael Showalter (Hello, My Name is Doris) does a splendid job of staging small, intimate scenes between Emily and Kumail that feel natural and spontaneous. Kumail is a challenging guy, and part of the magic of The Big Sick is that their evolving relationship is so much smarter than the typical rom-com formula. They behave like real people, not formulaic "types." They screw up and make mistakes. They say the wrong things. And life's timing can be truly confounding.
Kumail Nanjiani is hilarious, and a real find. He does a fantastic job here, and it must have been incredibly challenging to write and perform a retelling of one of the most transformative periods of your own life. I loved how Kumail can't resist making comedy out of something, even in sometimes inopportune moments. The tone of The Big Sick isn't always rom-com either. These people went through a lot, and Hunter and Romano are wonderful as two parents dealing with their own problems, who are completely unsure of how to deal with Kumail's eccentric presence in their lives.
The Big Sick is refreshingly real and open at portraying family culture clash. There's virtually no exposition, and Kumail's dilemma of honoring his family while trying to stay true to his own life is something you don't have to be an immigrant to appreciate. Race may be a big deal when it comes to revealing your relationship to family, but between two people who are beginning to feel something together, not so much.
I should probably shut up, already. But see this movie. There's a reason Gordon and Nanjiani were nominated for Best Original Screenplay. The dialogue and characters here are fantastic, real gems. And the timing of a story that just realistically shows the angst of cultural differences amidst the normal uncertainty of dating, life and the unknown, is incredibly refreshing. These are the kinds of new voices we need in film, and watching The Big Sick was a great experience, and gave me a real dose of hope - take as often as needed. Available to stream on Amazon.
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