The Big Sick Synopsis: Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani and grad student Emily Gardner fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents, his family’s expectations, and his true feelings.
Aspiring comedian Kumail Nanjiani (Kumail Nanjiani) meets Emily (Zoe Kazan) at one of his shows, and the two immediately hit it off. Despite the fact that Emily isn’t looking for a relationship and Kumail’s parents expect him to marry a Pakistani woman, the two begin to date and quickly fall in love. Kumail’s mother tries to set him up with various women she approves of, while Kumail hides his new relationship from his family. To his family, dating a white woman is worse than a hit-and-run or check forgery.
Eventually, the familial and cultural pressures prove too much for Kumail, and he ends things with Emily. And then, Emily ends up in a medically induced coma due to an undiagnosed illness. Kumail is still listed as one of her emergency contacts. At the hospital, Kumail meets Emily’s parents, Beth (Holly Hunter) and Terry (Ray Romano). Kumail begins to bond with them unexpectedly, leading him to re-evaluate his feelings for Emily and his desire to please his family.
The romantic comedy then becomes a romantic dramedy with Emily’s hospital stay, and director Michael Showalter expertly handles the shifting tone. Nanijani is excellent in The Big Sick. He’s a charming, self-deprecating wit about him, but he can also play to the more dramatic moments with ease. I would love to see him in more leading roles. He and Kazan share the kind of tender chemistry that never feels forced, and despite her somewhat limited screen time, Kazan is quite an enthralling force as Emily before she spends the rest of the movie in a coma.
I loved The Big Sick. It never follows the predictable route of a typical romantic comedy. You’re so quickly emotionally invested in Kumail and Emily’s love story, but the heart of the movie belongs to Nanjiani, Hunter, and Romano. Their uncomfortable beginning (“9/11. What’s your stance?”) soon evolves into something more profound.
Romano once again proves his talent goes much deeper than Everybody Loves Raymond. Hunter is magnetic as a no-nonsense, frightened mom trying to remain strong amid her daughter’s mysterious health scare. The three find some common ground, as awkward as it might be, and Nanjiani holds his own on-screen against two incredible performers.
The runtime is a bit long, but it maintains a steady pace and keeps you invested until the very end. There are no bad performances in this movie. Kumail’s family is so charming and funny, and his stand-up friends (Aidy Bryant, Bo Burnham) deliver some of the best one-liners in the film.
At the core of The Big Sick is an excellent script. Nanjiani and Emily Gordon wrote the screenplay based on their real-life courtship, Emily’s mysterious illness, and more. They turn something that could have been tragic into something so heartfelt and funny while touching on so many themes – cultural differences, marital discord, deliberate and casual racism, stress, and grief… everything is handled with grace and humor, which is why I think The Big Sick was so successful, and absolutely deserved it’s Oscar nomination for best original screenplay.
Watched: 10/25/2019
Notable Song: My Love by The Bird and the Bee
