Review: The Big Sick

How do you talk about the cultural tension of interracial relationships, explore the complexity of a decades long marriage on the rocks, and show a man falling in love with a sick woman fighting for her life all while making people laugh? Somehow The Big Sick accomplishes this and more. 

The Big Sick initially intrigued because I learned that the screenwriters, Kumail Nanjiani (co-writer and star of HBO’s Silicon Valley) and Emily V. Gordon were married and actually wrote the story based on their own experience of meeting and falling in love. I'm always drawn to deeply personal stories coming to life on the screen.

While there were some creative liberties taken in the film, The Big Sick very closely mirrors the real life love story of Kumail and Emily beginning in the comedy club where Kumail started out as an aspiring standup comic, following the cultural tensions with his family's desire for him to marry a Pakistani woman, and even portraying Emily's serious illness that put her in a medically-induced coma. 

Despite dealing with weighty topics, the film carries a certain airiness to it. Ray Romano and Holly Hunter play Emily's parents in the film, and the comedic interplay between them and Kumail really elevates the film. The exchanges between Terry (Ray Romano) and Kumail are especially hilarious.

Kumail and Emily's relationship seems to be progressing at the beginning of the film, but when Emily finds out that Kumail has been hiding their relationship from his parents because they are trying to force him into an arranged marriage, they have a big fight  and go their separate ways until one of Emily's friends calls him one night to let him know that she has been admitted to the ER. 

When the doctors are unable to diagnose her illness and she is put in a medically-induced coma, her parents rush to Chicago and Kumail decides to stick around even though things with Emily were strained before she got sick. What follows is a beautifully executed turn in the film where Kumail gets to know Emily's parents and they get to know each other because of the scary circumstances they find themselves in.

Kumail slowly begins to realize he is falling in love with Emily and finds the courage he needs to confront his family and tell them what he really wants. The film explores the struggles of first generation immigrant parents and how their traditions collide with the world their children are growing up in in the U.S. It deals with the fear and uncertainty of serious illness, and even delves into the wounds and unhealthy patterns of a decades-long marriage. All of this is balanced with just the right dose of honest comedy that helps the audience hang in during the heavy moments, and a commentary on topics like racism, cultural differences, and following your dreams.

It's no surprise that this film was so positively received by critics and audiences . The performances are stellar and while I would've liked to have a little more time to feel emotionally invested in Emily and Kumail's relationship before she goes into a coma, this was a refreshing and heart-warming film that I feel like I learned a lot from.