Review of The Big Sick (2017) by Anthony F — 10 Jul 2017

I was initially going to see something else this weekend, but I decided at the last minute that I didn't feel like watching Peter Parker go through high school for the 3rd time in 15 years. Since I had the fiancé with me, I decided to be a good guy and take her to see nice rom-com instead.

Comedian Kumail Nanjiani and real life wife Emily V. Gordon (with the help of uber producer Judd Apatow) bring to life the story of how they met and fell in love. Zoe Kazan plays his wife in the film while Kumail plays himself respectively. This one is being tagged as THE big date movie of the summer. Some critics are even touting it as the rom-com of the year. Don't let Judd Apatow's name fool you though. It's actually more of a quirky dramady. "Knocked Up" and "Trainwreck", this ain't. As for the basic set-up, our 2 lovebirds meet-cute as she playfully heckles him during his stand-up one night, continue to flirt afterwards, watch movies together, make out and, well you know where this goes...that is until things end on a premature sour note. But before Kumail can even think about fixing things, Emily is forced into a medically induced coma during a random health scare. Enter act 2 when Emily's parents, played by Ray Romano and Holly Hunter come to be by their daughter's side while poor Kumail try's to make good on things by just...being there. It's in this fairly extended 2nd act where the flick truly came to life for me. It's also the point where Hunter and and Romano practically steal the show from our leads. Romano hasn't been this good since...well, Romano's never really been this good before. Hunter again proves why she won an Oscar all those years ago. What's interesting is that Nanjiani initially comes off as a bland lead, but his strengths gradually reveal themselves as the story becomes more dire. He has a deadpan charm that's still sorta growing on me. It's certainly not the best romantic comedy I've ever seen, but it's a nice breath of fresh air to cool down during CGI summer. As for the hype, it's an easy contender for best original screenplay, come Oscar time. Watch it with someone you love.