Review: The Big Sick Wows With Unconventional Love Story

The Big Sick
Lionsgate
Michael Showalter
Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Ray Romano, Holly Hunt
119 minutes
5/5 Stars

It’s the kind of romantic comedy one might think is too cheesy and outlandish to be true- except it is. Boy meets girl, girl falls into a coma, boy falls in love. The romcom, produced by Judd Apatow, is based on the real lives of comedian and writer Kumail Nanjiani and writer Emily V Gordon, who manage to create a film not only uniquely and undeniably their own, but one that is earnest, powerful, and hilarious. That’s what actor and writer Kumail Nanjiani and director Michael Showalter’s The Big Sick is, and so much more.

The story is outwardly familiar: A good guy meets a woman that he feels is too good for him, and he messes it up. But differently from other romantic comedies, The Big Sick takes the traditional romcom and adds authenticity with a heavy side of comedy.

Kumail Nanjiani, who plays a fictionalized version of himself, is a Chicago-bred stand-up comic. He is depicted as a Pakistani-American struggling to make both his stand-up and personal life work. Kumail meets Emily (Zoe Kazan), a grad student planning to become a therapist, at one of his standup shows. Immediately, the two exhibit undeniable chemistry filled with laughter and wit.

Emily makes it clear that she is not looking for a relationship, but, she continues to make excuses to see Kumail. Conflict rears its ugly head when it is revealed that Kumail’s traditional Pakistani Muslim family doesn’t know about Emily. Not only do they not know about Emily, but they have been continuously and relentlessly trying to find Pakistani Muslim women to match with Kumail. His family wants him to be happy- as long as he is following their cultural traditions. Kumail’s keeping of this secret causes a fight with Emily, and the pair breaks up.

After the breakup, Emily falls ill to the point of admittance to the hospital. In desperation, Emily’s friend calls Kumail, and he races to the hospital to check in on her. It is determined that Emily must be put in a medically-induced coma in order to combat her rapidly depleting health. Her parents, the nerdy and dry Terry (Ray Romano), and the headstrong and outspoken Beth (Holly Hunter), arrive. It is one heck of a way to meet the girlfriend’s parents. And, unluckily for Kumail, Beth reveals that Emily tells her mother “everything,” and she is not pleased with him being at the hospital. It is a frightening and traumatic time in their lives, Kumail, Terry and Beth are left to navigate it together.

The Big Sick in some ways enacts Nanjiani’s anecdotal stand-up, though filled with the talents of a perfectly selected cast. In a testament to the strength of Kazan’s character, despite her laying in a hospital bed comatose for most of the movie, Emily’s character maintains a strong influence. Her root qualities and characteristics are displayed in the portrayal of her parents (Romano and Hunt), who could not have been better cast. The dorkiness and realism Romano lends to Terry’s character are perfectly matched with Hunt’s feisty, high-strung adaptation of Beth. This, in juxtaposition with the plot, makes the film relatable, familiar and humorous, while still setting it apart from the traditional romantic comedy. Perhaps most memorable is Romano’s depiction of Terry, which is as close to the physical embodiment of a dad joke as one can get. The cast is just relatable enough to fall into the umbrella of characters in romantic comedies, with just enough unconventionalism to maintain its charm and deadpan playfulness.

Judd Apatow, the film’s producer, and was reportedly initially entranced by Nanjiani and Gordon’s true story. Some of the characters exhibit similarities to characters in Apatow’s produced films, as Terry is similar to Seth Rogen’s dad in Knocked Up. Apatow’s Funny People is also structurally similar to The Big Sick, in that they both depict comedians and their time spent backstage. Consistent with Michael Showalter’s films, particularly similar to Hello, My Name Is Doris, the cinematography is basic, vivid and clear, with the focus being the importance of the actors.

As Nanjiani and Gordon are both comedy writers, the script is incredibly done. The dialogue between characters gives great insight to their relationships, immersing the viewer in the world that Nanjiani and Gordon have created. Through dialogue, the writing makes each character- from main character Kumail himself to the tertiary character hospital nurse- feel fully developed. From the playful heckling between Kumail and Emily to the comical bickering between Terry and Beth, the script depicts a personal reflection and an atypical romance, peppered with humor along with the darkness of reality.

Like the characters in the film fell for one another, I fell hard for The Big Sick. As a fan of Nanjiani’s stand-up and acting, I had high expectations for this film. They were exceeded. The film tells a love story, in which the love is not necessarily consistently at the forefront of the story. At the forefront of the story, is the authenticity and humor that accompanies the search for identity and partnership in an ever-changing yet culturally-dictated society.

The Big Sick is an excellent film that embraces the dry humor that accompanies real life and love in the 21st century.