The Big Sick — Blue Fairy Film Blog

Good romantic comedies are generally only made in the independent film community, because many of the tropes and calamitous plot devices used in mainstream, Hollywood rom-coms have become clichéd. The Big Sick holds the distinction of being the biggest payday for a Sundance released film on record, as Amazon paid $12 million for its distribution rights, gave it a theatrical release, and made it one of the highest yielding releases of 2017 for indie film. Writer and star Kumail Nanjiani, and co-writer and real life wife Emily V. Gordon earned their acclaim thanks to a screenplay that took three years to finish, and the encouragement of producer Judd Apatow, who found their story so unbelievable, it had to be a film.

Based (but not exact) of Emily and Kumail’s real life, the two met in Chicago quite some time ago, and married in 2007. The film stars Kumail as a version of himself, while Zoe Kazan plays his girlfriend Emily. The two start dating, but complications arise as Kumail is meant to marry a Pakistani girl and settle down, but he would rather work in stand-up and date and marry who he pleases. Tensions arise and the two break up. As the title implies, Emily gets very sick and Kumail and her parents (Hunter and Romano) get to know each other in the hospital as the illness is slowly diagnosed.

The reason critics and audiences alike find this different from current rom-coms is in part to do with the focus on the traditions and customs of a Pakistani-American family and the call for assimilation that white America asks for. The film balances between the complex identity of an immigrant finding their place in America by using stand-up comedy and scenes of Nanjiani’s family dinners to show the disconnect between living for yourself versus for others. There are very few films, full stop, that not only have diverse ethnic characters but also delve into their complex identities and lives.

But of course, the film is exceptionally funny and features real life comedians Bo Burnham, Adie Bryant, and Kurt Braunohler. Part of one of Kumail’s real stand up bits makes its way into the film, though the entire thing is so much funnier (see the clip below). Kazan and Nanjiani are exceptional when it comes to their chemistry, heart, and humor, and make for the perfect pairing. Holly Hunter and Ray Romano, who are constantly undervalued in modern times for their talents, finally get the meaty roles that they deserve. Kumail’s father is played by the well-known Indian actor Anupam Kher, and of the women who are constantly forced on him, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s Vella Lovell stands out as Khadija, a woman looking for love in the exact way her family wants for her, but unlike Kumail she doesn’t fight it.

While the film isn’t rip-roaringly funny, it is earnest, and more importantly, it possesses a whopping heap of heart. Love is painful, even when it works out for the best, and by explaining that sometimes your story won’t be linear, Kumail and Emily have shared a gift with us that cannot be understated for its sincerity.