Co-written by and based upon the real-life story of comedian Kumail Nanjiani and his former girlfriend Emily V. Gordon, The Big Sick presents an endearing story of stand-up comedy, new-found love, and a tragic illness. It’s a film that is joyously human, heartfelt, and hilarious, effectively reviving the rom-com genre with a captivating, fact-based story that provides a uniquely important insight into a culture and its quirks that aren’t often seen in American cinema. The Big Sick is without a doubt a film that stands among the most fulfilling and absolute best of 2017.
Nanjiani plays as himself, set early on in his career in Chicago as he performs at small clubs, hopelessly waiting for the day that he makes it big. One night, a cute woman in the crowd “heckles” him during a set, leading him to playfully confront her about it following the show, and the two show an immediate chemistry together… it’s not long before they’re dating. This woman is Emily, who is delightfully portrayed by Zoe Kazan. As their budding relationship grows into something stronger, everything seemingly falls apart at once in a devastating one-two punch.
Firstly, because of his Pakistani background, Kumail’s parents have been attempting at nauseum for years to set up an arranged marriage for him with a number of different Pakistani girls. They wish more than anything that he finally marries a woman bearing their approval, and Kumail is well aware that he would be disowned by the family if he were seeing a white woman, leading him to hide his relationship with Emily from his own parents.
At the same time, he’s been lying to Emily, saying that his parents live far away and he barely sees them (when in actuality he sees them weekly), and she’s also been led to believe that they are at the very least aware of the relationship. When Emily discovers his parents’ view and their ignorance of the situation, and when he is unable to tell her if he can truly see a future with her, she understandably cuts ties with him on the spot.
While this would have been bad enough, the real hard blow comes by way of a mysterious ailment that completely disables Emily soon after their break-up. Kumail finds himself in an unenviable situation when he is suddenly left as the only person in reasonable distance that can be alongside her at the hospital, and is ultimately led to sign for her to be put into a medically-induced coma for her own safety.
This is the point where The Big Sick truly becomes something special. Kumail is solely left to confront Emily’s parents for the first time and struggles with his willingness to be at the side of someone he once loved — someone who may no longer love him back. And all the while he’s continuing to dedicate himself to developing his career in stand-up, as hard as that may be in his situation.
The first act of The Big Sick is carried effortlessly by lightheartedness, witty dialogues, and lovable characters. Conversely, the latter half trades in convincing, carefully constructed drama and heartbreaking performances. Director Michael Showalter unveils both sides of his film with equal attention, conveying a strong, cohesive story that impressively juggles two distinctly different tones, although the script remains humorous throughout.
The entirety of the supporting cast is important to the integrity of The Big Sick — especially seen in strong output from Emily’s parents, played by Holly Hunter and Ray Romano — but it’s Nanjiani’s performance that is truly revelatory. This is a star-making film, and can take the relatively unknown Nanjiani to much bigger things. I only note “bigger things,” because “better things” seems almost improbable and impossible following this, which I say as a testament to how incredible The Big Sick really is. As a debut film and a jumping-off point for the comedian’s burgeoning career, it honestly couldn’t get much better than this.
5 stars out of 5
— Michael Lane, Blog Editor
