Review of The Big Sick (2017) by Greatmartin — 06 Jul 2017

Best movie of the year so far BUT...

“The Big Sick” is an excellent movie with only 3 negatives, two really minor and another, in my opinion, major but I got over it!

The movie is being sold as a romantic comedy, which two thirds of it is,Best movie of the year so far BUT...

“The Big Sick” is an excellent movie with only 3 negatives, two really minor and another, in my opinion, major but I got over it!

The movie is being sold as a romantic comedy, which two thirds of it is, but a major third is the drama and all are in equal parts. With Kumail Nanjiani, who I am familiar with from the HBO show “Silicon Valley”, starring and Judd Apatow producing I expected a lot of laughs and they are delivered in grins, smiles, laughs, out loud guffaws along with nods of the head that derive from real moments in life that all can identify. The drama also gets the spotlight and in some scenes you will be crying and laughing at the same time while in others the tears will flow. Yes the romance is there and it is as romantic as in any film you have seen.

The two really minor negatives, surprisingly, are the stand up routines by the real in life stand up comics Aidy Bryant, Kurt Braunohler and Bo Burnham and the interactions between them and Kumail but none really take up that much time.

Not getting into the screenplay itself, written by Nanjiani and his real wife Emily V. Gordon and based on their true romance, the acting is some of the finest from the whole cast including what would be considered minor roles such as the nurse played by Myra Lucretia Taylor and Kuhoo Verma as a potential bride. Anupan Kher and Zenobia as his parents could teach today’s parents in how to make your child feel guilty, especially the mother.

A big discovery for me was Zoe Kazan who I don’t recall seeing before. She makes Emily a real person whether it be in her kookiness, ‘only having sex once the first time with somebody’, who is going to be a therapist and in some scenes could really use therapy. She makes a lasting impression any time she is on screen but also has you thinking of her when she is not in a scene.

Ray Romano has never caught my attention as I was usually more interested in his co-stars, whether on television or movies, but here as a father, referring to his daughter, says “Being a parent is a nightmare. Loving somebody this much sucks” he is funny and heartbreaking sometimes in the same sentence.

I could talk for days about Holly Hunter’s performance in “Big Sick”. She appears on screen about 30-40 minutes into the film and steals every scene from everyone in the film for the rest of the film. No way do you want to get her teed off in a comic club because no matter how tall or big you are you aren’t going to win! Don’t you dare hurt her daughter because you will get her wrath, sneers and coldness but show her daughter love and with one gesture you know you will never be able to do anything wrong again. I certainly hope she is remembered at award time.

Yes Kumail Nanjiani is playing himself, even being called Kumail, but you get to know more than the comedian. You get to know the man, the actor, the writer, the comedian, the man who can woo women with doe eyes, a smile and caring. I hope he gets to do more roles where he is involved as a person who happens to also be a comedian or not.

The “The Big Sick” is a must see movie and be prepared to laugh, cry and, yes, experience the drama of the title.