Review of The Big Sick (2017) by Crystal R — 01 Jan 2018

The best thing The Big Sick has going for it outside a surprisingly rich performance from Kumail Nanjiani is its director and comedy stalwart, Michael Showalter. While the films gives us a new take on the traditional rom-com specifically due to the cultural differences from its two leads, I still felt it never quite shook off the sluggishness of moving through a standard rom-com's paces.

The Big Sick follows Nanjiani's real-life story of how he met his wife who suddenly became ill while they were dating. The strengths in the film lie with the relationships that come out of her illness. Kumail and Emily's parents form a reluctant bond moving from unstable to heartwarming over the course of Emily's stay. I've never been a standout fan of Ray Romano, but he's enjoyable as a goofy father doing the best he can in the dire situation. Holly Hunter puts forth a more ferocious performance as a mother incensed with protecting her child and struggling to make the best decisions to save her child.

Overall, it was a good movie, but there just wasn't anything exciting about seeing it other than learning about Kumail's story, which is outside the normal. It was funny, even humorous in spots, but it was still too bland to break the mold of rom-com in an inventive way.