The Big Sick – 5 out of 5
I really enjoy Kumail Nanjiani. I think the guy is funny in everything he is
in. Whether it’s his role in Silicon
Valley or the small roles where he shows up for a short period of time in
various comedies, the guy can deliver and he is very memorable. Hell, he was one of the only
funny parts about Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, in my opinion. When I heard that he and his wife; Emily V.
Gordon, had co-written a movie about how they met and how their relationship
evolved, I was instantly sold on the idea and wanted to see it. Even after it was produced, sold to a
distributor, and was ready to get its theatrical release I was ready to watch it
and I didn’t even bother to watch a trailer.
I’m just such a fan of the guy that I didn’t need anything beyond the
concept and his involvement to sell me on The Big Sick.
 |
| Amazon Studios/Lionsgate She's a cute, bubbly girl and he's an Uber driver...what a cliche! |
Chicago stand-up comedian Kumail (Kumail Nanjiani) is just
going through his life trying to make it in the world of comedy while his
parents try to get him into an arranged marriage, per their culture and against
what he wants. One day, while performing
at a show, he meets Emily (Zoe Kazan) and the two hit it off and find
themselves falling for one another.
However, after Kumail refuses to come clean about his parents arranged
marriage setups and the fact he hasn’t told them about her, Emily leaves. Soon after, she finds herself in a coma and
Kumail stumbles his way in to be with her every day and, along the way, forms a
bond with her parents; Beth (Holly Hunter) and Terry (Ray Romano).
 |
| Amazon Studios/Lionsgate I'll just take a second here to state that Hunter and Romano were divine in this film. |
Romcoms can be kinda…dumb.
I don’t begrudge anyone who enjoys them but when you look at them
through a fine enough lens, they all look very silly. This is totally true of all genres of films
but the romantic comedy never really showcases love or relationships in any
real sense. They are to love as what
porn is to sex. Sometimes, a film comes
a long that shows love and the hardships of a relationship in a very realistic
light (usually this comes in the form of an indie film) and that’s one of the
things The Big Sick does better than a majority of the other films in this
genre. The entire film feels like you
are watching a real couple, a real family, and, most of all, real people
dealing with the hardships and the ups and downs of love and what it can do to
two people when one is lying and one is dying.
(Yes, that rhyme was intentional and I will gladly sell it so it ends up
on the Blu-Ray packaging.)
 |
| Amazon Studios/Lionsgate Also put on the packaging, "I liked his sweater." |
 |
| Amazon Studios/Lionsgate This film is so sweet that I gushed just watching them grocery shop together. |
What made this film so captivating is how real everything
about it felt. Granted, this film is
essentially an adaptation of the real life events that Nanjiani and Gordon went
through but what transpired across the screen never felt emphasized or
enhanced, it just felt genuine. Add in realistic dialogue,
natural chemistry between the entire cast and down-to-earth acting and it made
for a feature that felt warm and inviting as well as charming, dramatic,
emotional, and fun. I will admit there
were some times that had trouble nailing the grounded feel of it, however. For example, as much as I love Nanjiani, there
were times were he couldn’t quite narrow down the performance during some minor
dramatic scenes (but these moments were very rare) and there were times that the interactions between the
comedians felt too “Judd Apatow-ish.” They didn’t feel like real comedians
cracking wise at each other but, instead, were just doing the never ending
insult gags that is basically 50% of all Apatow’s films (which kinda makes
sense since he had a hand in this).
Ultimately, however, these drawbacks were incredibly minor and didn’t
really destroy the entertainment value or take me out of the flow of the story
or heart of it.
 |
| Amazon Studios/Lionsgate There were a lot of very amusing moments with Anupam Kher and Zenobia Shroff as Kumail's parents. This film presents parents quite excellently. |
There really are no drawbacks to The Big Sick. The cast is fantastic and really creates
charming and interesting characters, the story is fantastic as it develops
these two main characters and we watch as conflict exists between their
personalities and cultures, and the film is capable of being both
heart-warmingly dramatic, and emotional and charmingly funny. Never does the plot slow down or drag as we
watch Kumail and Emily’s parents deal with the situation they find themselves
in and everything builds at such a great pace.
Then, when the final moments of the film arrive, you are treated to an
absolutely beautiful and genuinely sweet ending that would make the most
mainstream romantic comedies kick a nearby stone at their feet out of
jealousy. Nanjiani and Gordon adapted
their story so well and director Michael Showalter presented it absolutely
perfectly. Overall, this movie is as
close to perfection as a romcom can get.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.