THE BIG SICK (2017) - More than just a rom-com

The Big Sick is a 2017 romantic comedy directed by Michael Showalter and starring Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, and Ray Romano. The movie is written by and based on Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon's story of how they met and fell in love while also dealing with the hardships of being in love and being in a cross-cultural relationship. When tragedy strikes, Kumail has to face his growing relationship with Emily's parents and come in terms with his views on his own family and culture. The film had its world premiere at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival where it won wide critical praise. It's funny, full of heart, and makes for a great movie to watch on a date.

The Characters

Kumail Nanjiani steals the show as a fictionalized version of himself. Unlike typical rom-com male leads, Nanjiani is quieter and unassuming. Love Story's iconic "Love means never having to say you're sorry" is an utter lie and The Big Sick knows it, giving us a hero who's apologetic almost to a fault. His charm comes not from his looks or his smooth-talking but rather from his endearing awkwardness. He is a fully realized and three-dimensional character--a 30-something year old Pakistani man whose cultural identity is not quite American and not quite Pakistani.

The time not spent developing his romance with Emily is spent on developing him as a character--most notably his rejection of some aspects of Pakistani/Muslim culture and simultaneous appreciation of others. He hates the arranged-marriage concept, the idea of praying five times a day, and won't grow a beard like his brother. But at the same time, he prefers Pakistani food, loves playing cricket, and loves the culture enough to create and frequently perform a one man show all about Pakistan. At the crux of it all, he appreciates his parents' sacrifice of moving to the United States for a better life, but finds it difficult to deal with the pressure of living up to their ideals--something I'm sure most first- and second-generation immigrants can relate to. But despite the increasingly strained relationship between Nanjiani and his family, he always maintains a positive attitude and a cheeky sense of humor, which makes him all the more lovable.

Zoe Kazan delivers a great performance as Emily Gordon, who strikes such wonderful chemistry with Nanjiani that we immediately buy into them being very attracted each other despite them initially trying very hard not to be. While I didn't quite like her as much as I did the other characters, that's more due to how the story uses her character rather than through any fault of the actress, and she performs wonderfully in some of the more emotional scenes (although I have to admit I'm not a big fan of her voice. She sounds too much like a Kardashian sometimes.)

And yes, that is Ray Romano from Everybody Loves Raymond

Ray Romano and Holly Hunter are fantastic in their roles as Emily's parents. The two balance each other perfectly and their characters also work very well with Kumail, who spends a large portion of the movie bonding with them. Romano's wimpy but endearing Terry acts as the yin for the yang in Hunter's initially cold but ultimately loving character Beth. A surprising amount of the movie focuses on their relationship as well, nicely contrasting with Kumail and Emily's new romance.

The Story

I recommend going into the movie blind without watching the trailer beforehand. I went into the theater knowing nothing and I think it is ultimately much better that way. The first 45 minutes or so play as what we'd expect from a romantic comedy. The leads get together and start to fall in love and we already know that the issue of Kumail's arranged marriage will break them apart. Of course, I then expected them to come back together because true love solves everything. Except that's not what happens. Not exactly anyway. 

Around the halfway point of the movie just as I was wondering what was the big deal about the movie, the story abruptly changes in a very unexpected manner. I don't want to spoil it for you because it was a pretty pleasant surprise to find how really only about half the movie is really devoted to the main romance. 

If there is one thing I didn't like about the plot was that it started to really drag near the end and I found myself constantly checking the time. That's not to say I wasn't enjoying myself at the end, but rather that the last twenty minutes or so had several places where the movie seemed like it was going to end only to keep on going.

The real life Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon

The comedy will not be up for everyone's taste. If you enjoy rapid-fire jokes like in The Hangover or gut-wrenching gags like in The Office, you probably won't find this movie all that funny. The Big Sick opts instead for smart humor with proper set-ups and punchlines, overall very similar to stand-up comedy. The jokes don't define the movie and they don't define the characters, which I found very refreshing. Other movies often have characters who are subservient to their jokes rather than the other way around like it should be. These characters are usually bland and two-dimensional and are really only there to be made fun of. The Big Sick has none of this and all of them feel like real, genuine people, so the movie is able to be funny without demoting their characters to simple gag machines.

That's not to say there are some hilarious moments. One perfectly timed 9/11 joke had me and my whole theater howling with laughter.

Final Verdict

The Big Sick manages to transcend the typical romantic comedy by having true heart with its characters more than anything. You really feel that these are real people with real struggles, most of all the amazingly endearing Kumail Nanjiani. The story also focuses a great deal on the struggles of being a Pakistani-American and being in a cross-cultural relationship. The comedy may not be for everybody but the heart definitely is. This is a great movie to go watch on a date and is best seen without watching the trailers.

Score: B

The film is currently available only at select theaters (the closest one in the DFW area is Magnolia in Dallas) but will get a wide release on July 14th.