Kumail is a Pakistani comic who meets an American graduate student named Emily at one of his stand-up shows. As their relationship blossoms, he soon becomes worried about what his traditional Muslim parents will think of her. When Emily suddenly comes down with an illness that leaves her in a coma, Kumail finds himself developing a bond with her deeply concerned mother and father.
Directed by Michael Showalter, The Big Sick is based on the true story of how Kumail Nanjiani met his now-wife Emily Gordon. The autobiographical film stars Kumail playing himself and Zoe Kazan as Emily. This very affectionate real love story is heartbreaking, yet reinvents the term rom-com. Easily the most thoughtful movie of the year, The Big Sick was ballsy enough to drop every 9/11, Muslim, racist joke in the book. The film also highlights Kumail’s life as an American and the culture-clash of his Pakistani family living in America.
The tragic rollercoaster love story swerves unexpectedly into trauma -hence the title- and is packed with more than just a few jokes and its improvised-feel approach to deeply intimate comedy was on point. It ticked all the boxes for me.
Quietly risk-taking and far from your average rom-com.
