Review of The Big Sick (2017) by Marcel A — 15 Jul 2017

Forgive me for saying this, but modern-day romantic comedies get a bad rap for a reason. For every clever offering like 'Bridget Jones' Diary' or 'Trainwreck', we're served handfuls of vapid, knuckled-headed fluff about upper-middle class wasps living in fancy homes seemingly plucked out of an InStyle magazine photoshoot.

[I'm looking at you, Nancy Meyers.] Like a gift from Allah, Pakistani-American comic Kumail Nanjiani (of 'Silicon Valley' fame) delivers what is easily the most satisfying rom-com of the decade.

Co-written with his real-life wife and based on their own eventful first weeks as a couple, the film's whip-smart script offers a pitch-perfect balance of heart and character-driven humour while delving into Nanjiani's struggle to break from the constraints of his conservative Muslim household.

Zoe Kazan proves an effective stand-in for the real Mrs. Nanjiani (aka writer/producer Emily V. Gordon), while Holly Hunter and Ray Romano give superb supporting turns as her parents. Still, THE BIG SICK is Kumail Nanjiani's victory, a star-making passion project that proves you can make an intelligent, emotionally resonant romantic comedy that won't leave you feeling guilty for enjoying it.