Romantic comedies aren't exactly my area of expertise, but I've been looking forward to The Big Sick for quite a while. This excitement mainly came from the fact that it's based on the true-life romance of comedian Kumail Nanjiani and writer/producer Emily V. Gordon. Movies that are very personal stories always have the potential to fall flat, but Nanjiani has always been a very smart comedian, and I trusted him to not fall into too much schmaltz. The co-writing couple did a great job at making their story accessible, and at delivering what I would describe as the perfect example of why the rom-com genre is still going. When it's done well, it really works.
Being a romantic comedy, there are two key things that the film obviously has to deliver on; romance and comedy. The majority of the story doesn't deal with Kumail and Emily's (Zoe Kazan) relationship quite as much as I expected. When the two are on-screen together, Nanjiani and Kazan have great chemistry, and almost feel like an authentic couple themselves. The development of their relationship happens quickly, but it's believable based on how well they click, and when the couple goes through their eventual big conflict, it makes complete sense. Nanjiani in particular stands out here; while he's always been a very funny performer, I've never seen this level of emotional honesty and baldfaced vulnerability from him before.
The main conflict of the story is more about the clash of cultures than a clash of personalities or goals. Kumail's traditional Pakistani family wants him to be part of an arranged marriage, but he wants to forge his own path and take control of his life. This proves to be a very complicated task, as Kumail essentially spins himself into a web of lies by hiding Emily from his family and his family from Emily. Kumail is a very complex, flawed character, and it's nice to see that the real Kumail didn't have so much ego that he made himself the "perfect in every way" archetype that so many male rom-com protagonists fall into.
The most charming section of the film comes when Emily is placed in a medically-induced coma after a severe infection, and Kumail has to interact with her parents, Terry (Ray Romano) and Beth (Holly Hunter). The funniest and most poignant moments come when these three are on-screen together. Since we're given so much time with the Gardner parents, I wish we'd gotten a more nuanced look at Kumail's parents. But how the characters are presented, and how they contrast, does serve to further reinforce the cultural differences between the two leads. I also wish that we got more time with Emily and Kumail, since Emily spends quite a lot of the film unconscious, but the film already feels like it runs a bit long as it is.
The Big Sick gets a lot of mileage out of charm, and out of comedy. All of the jokes land solidly, and when they come around, there's enough emotional groundwork built up to make them even funnier. And while the film never went into territory that was too harrowing, it wasn't romanticised either. When characters break down or erupt, it feels earned, and the conflict is always rooted in the characters themselves. The film never tries to be bigger than the story that it's telling. There were a couple of moments that felt forced, such as when Kumail and the Gardners deal with a racist audience member at one of Kumail's stand-up shows, but those moments don't detract from an overall fantastic experience.
The Big Sick is the kind of movie that leaves you with a warm, satisfied feeling when it's over. It's the funniest movie I've seen so far this year, and one of the few that's managed to get me choked up. That's a testament to how strongly the film's central relationship is built, and how authentic it feels. This film jumped up very high among my favourite films of the year, and everything else I'll see has a significant challenge in dethroning it. In a sea of summer movies that feel so enormous and monumental, The Big Sick stands out with an endlessly funny, very human story. I really can't recommend this film enough.
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