The Big Sick, directed by Michael Showalter, is a romantic comedy that depicts the love affair of its married screenwriters; Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani. After a surprising snub at the Golden Globes, the film looks set to (hopefully!) garner some Oscar nominations and is up for the top prize at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.
This film follows Kumail (Kumail Nanjiani), a wannabe stand-up comedian from a Muslim family, who falls in love with Emily (Zoe Kazan). After a few months of dating and a sudden break-up, Emily gets struck down by a mystery illness and Kumail rushes to be by her side despite the reluctance of both sets of parents. As the relationship between Kumail and Emily’s parents evolves, the film explores the influence of family, race and religion in romantic relationships.
The Big Sick is a surprising revitalisation of the romantic comedy genre. This film shows that it is possible to make a film about genuine real love that can be hilarious, and avoids the pitfalls and the cliches that have defined the rom-com genre over the last few years. The authenticity of the dialogue makes this film as great as it is, and the movie certainly benefits from having the two (Gordon and Nanjiani), who actually experienced the narrative, be able to tell it with such charm. The story is able to stay exciting and engaging without emerging into absurdity, which is a rarity in comedy nowadays and shows the true talent of the screenwriters – who I’m hoping will get an Oscar nomination. The direction of the film is simple but effective, and allows the characters to be the movie’s central focus.
The acting in this film is superb and, despite many proclaiming Holly Hunter to be the ‘stand-out’ of the film, functions brilliantly as an ensemble piece. Kumail’s family and best friend (Adeel Akhtar) are hilarious throughout, with the frequent infusion of Kumail’s stand-up comedy buddies also adding some lighter moments. I knew of Kumail Nanjiani before The Big Sick but had never actually seen him in anything before, so it was a pleasant surprise to be able to see him play the romantic lead as well as he did – with equal parts humour and sincerity. Despite being in a coma for at least half of the film, the charm exuded by Zoe Kazan, who I first saw in the criminally underrated Ruby Sparks, resonates with the viewer and allows us to still care for the character despite her lack of involvement for a lot of the movie. Holly Hunter and Ray Romano are absolutely wonderful as Emily’s parents and both take their characters in interesting directions, allowing for the character growth displayed by each to be palpable.
The Big Sick was my biggest surprise of 2017 and I am delighted that it is still a major topic of conversation throughout the awards season, as it certainly deserves to be up there with the best of the best. I’m giving it five out of five popcorns.
Girl with the Popcorn 