The Big Sick Review
You know, sometimes you go to the movies with a pre-conceived notion of what the film will be, and that pre-conception leads to a discovery of a film that really bends those thoughts into either a really well-done film that you appreciate or a disaster that will leave you wondering what was going on. Luckily, for the sake of The Big Sick, it’s the former. I thought going in this would be your standard rom-com with a lead actor from the Middle East falling in love with a white gal from the city, then one of them gets lovesick or something. Now given that I hadn’t seen any of the trailers and that the TV ads are pretty brief, I didn’t get that story, but I did, kind of.
So the movie is somewhat based around true events as its lead character Kumail, played by Kumail Nanjiani, so you get the joke there, is a stand-up comedian in Chicago who is making ends meet with various gigs and being an uber driver, but hopes one day to break big in the comedy world, but he also loves his Pakistani family, who’s culture demands an arranged marriage for him. That especially comes into conflict when Kumail meets Emily, a psychology student, based on real-life Emily V. Gordon, and the two form a somewhat hap-hazard relationship. However, as Emily comes under illness that could threaten her way of life, Kumail must come to the rescue and juggle both his personal life, getting to know Emily’s parents, and trying to keep his family from knowing the truth.
As far as praising the film, all of that has to start and end with star and co-writer Kumail Nanjiani, who I was not familiar with before seeing the film, but has now come onto my radar in a big way. His performance is very well-rounded with both fantastic comedic timing and a real effort at making the situation dramatic when it needs to be, but not falling into melodrama. There’s a whole bunch of one-liners that are terrific, and among them are some of the funniest 9/11 jokes I’ve heard in a while that aren’t exactly the most despicable thing. I know there are many people who are easily offended or upset by these jokes, but trust me, with the context given in the film and the way they’re delivered, you’ll be laughing. Zoe Kazan also does a nice job as Emily, even with the fact that nearly half of her screentime is in a hospital bed. But the two who steal the show are Holly Hunter and Ray Romano as Emily’s parents. I could sum it up this way: if we saw a spin-off movie with just these two characters, I think it could make for a movie that’s just as good as this one was. They are perfectly paired together, and their dynamic and side stories, while they do add up with the movie’s runtime, are as intriguing as the main storyline, and when their final scene came up, and I realized it was going to be their final scene, I had this feeling of, “No, I want more of them”. It isn’t very often when those type of characters get as dynamic and as fascinating, especially since they’re introduced maybe halfway through the film or a little before. As I mentioned, the comedy really works, but what really makes a romantic comedy click is do we care about the couple? In short, yes, both Kumail and Zoe have chemistry right off the start, and the two are nicely paired here, and ultimately it’s a romantic comedy that isn’t afraid to back down from the romance part of being a romantic comedy. It’s got all the comedy elements, sure, but if we don’t feel anything for the characters or the love story, then it can make for a movie that can either suck entirely or is close but not quite there. The Big Sick walks the line practically perfectly.
Really about the only things I have to complain about are my standards: it could have been shorter and it drags a couple of times. While I was following the story all the way through, I think an hour and forty-five minute runtime probably would have fit the film a bit better. Especially when we get to the last twenty minutes or so there’s a few moments where the movie just doesn’t know where to end or how to end, so yeah, they could have shaved off ten minutes or so there, and there’s a couple of moments right before Emily is hospitalized that tend to drag slightly, I mean not bad, but again the pace could have been a bit more settled. Seriously, I can’t think of much else I would change or that I can complain about here.
If you’re going to see one romantic comedy this summer or, hell, maybe even this year, this is probably your best bet. Kumail Nanjiani is now a name I’ll know and follow, and I can easily see him being the break-out comedy star of the summer, and I’d even argue when we get closer to awards time that if the supporting actor and actress categories start to look dry, seriously consider Holly Hunter and Ray Romano. They are terrific, and I can easily see Kumail getting a Best Actor: Comedy/Musical nomination at the Golden Globes, and he’s very deserving. The Big Sick has a lot of jokes that are aimed at adults, but it’s hard to see anybody not sitting down and enjoying themselves with the film. This is one illness you won’t want to get rid of right away.
My rating: 9/10.
