Review: The Big Sick


Pakistani-American stand-up comedian/Uber driver Kumail (played by Pakistani-American comedian Kumail Nanjiani) enters a relationship with a white American girl named Emily (Zoe Kazan). They’re cute and fun and everything is going great…until Kumail’s inability/unwillingness to tell his very traditional Pakistani family that he’s dating a white girl gets in the way. Then something tragic happens. Holly Hunter and Ray Romano play Emily’s parents who are initially frosty towards Kumail for frankly pretty good reasons. Aidy Bryant (one the least funny comedians in “SNL” history) and Bo Burnham play Kumail’s stand-up pals.



Star/co-writer Kumail Nanjiani probably won’t have a huge future as a leading man, but he has co-written himself a pretty good lead role in this multicultural romance dramedy from 2017. Directed by Michael Showalter, it’s not a great film but it did make me happy, almost to the point of tears in the end actually. I liked it. You’ll like it. You can’t resist it. You may not remember much about it a year from now, but so what?



Having heard what the film was about already, I was concerned that not enough of a relationship between the central couple would be formed before the plot twist kicks in. Thankfully, Nanjiani and co-writer/wife Emily V. Gordon create a pretty cute couple here, apparently inspired by their own real-life relationship (Yes, a serious medical issue was even involved). However, as nice and solid as the romance aspect of the film is, I actually think the drama and uncomfortable comedy aspects are far superior. There’s a funny bit where the resident crappy comedian chooses the wrong two people for a bit of audience participation. David Alan Grier is also amusing as the owner of the comedy club. The one-man show Nanjiani performs in the film is pretty funny, and it’s even funnier when Zoe Kazan has to confess to something embarrassing in the middle of the night.



Nanjiani is pretty likeable in the lead, and Kazan is certainly more appealing and ‘normal’ than she was in “Ruby Sparks”. I don’t normally like Ray Romano or Holly Hunter, but they’re actually pretty good here as Kazan’s parents and their interactions with Nanjiani create some of the film’s best uncomfortably funny moments. Romano in particular has never been better, and his advice on love is brilliantly awful.



A nice and occasionally funny film, if not a great one. I don’t necessarily think Nanjiani will headline another film, but he has co-written himself a lead role in a pretty good film here. Any film with a main character who loves “The Abominable Dr. Phibes” has to be at least pretty decent.



Rating: B-

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