His sensibility resonates well with Nanjiani’s, who is perfectly comfortable with the idea that not everything needs a joke.
#2017 in the deep movie series
Michael Showalter, whose recent streak as a director of emotionally rich comedy (2015’s Hello, My Name Is Doris the superb and surprisingly human TBS series Search Party) nails the perfect balance of character and, yes, actual jokes - nobody’s more absurd than a real human would be, but more often than not that’s plenty absurd. A scene in which Beth attempts to defend Kumail from a racist heckler is both hilarious and deeply endearing. Terry and Beth are suspicious of Kumail at first, but as they keep vigil over Emily - three nervous wrecks, tightly wound in their own ways - they slowly unravel for each other. And it’s through them that The Big Sick becomes a story rarely explored or romanticized on film, about what it’s like to bond with the parents of the person you’re in love with. The looming Romano and diminutive, sharp-edged Hunter are such a delightful study in contrasts you wonder why they’ve never been cast opposite each other before. In her stead arrive Ray Romano and Holly Hunter as her parents Terry and Beth, wracked with worry, bickering with each other, still mad at Kumail on Emily’s behalf, and both instantly lovable. Kumail Nanjiani and Ray Romano Charm in The Big Sick Trailer By the time Emily goes into a medically induced coma, we palpably miss her, because she feels like a real person, with a million little things going on that have been put on indefinite hold. She’s imperfect, but the film doesn’t try to make a point of her imperfection, and she’s capable of breaking a heart without being a bitch. Here’s an example of what a female perspective both in front of and behind the camera can do for a character who could have easily been a romantic object to be projected on to. But what makes the turn feel both real and terribly inconvenient is the strong impression Kazan makes in the film’s first act.
It’s possible that the sudden sidelining of Emily would feel cheap without the knowledge that it actually happened.
Then, as their relationship is crumbling, Emily falls gravely ill, and her parents arrive in Chicago to be by her side - and, in an unexpected but organic turn, so do Kumail’s. (The story has been updated to the present day Nanjiani’s character makes ends meet as an Uber driver, which lends itself to a couple of very funny bits early on.) It all starts off as predictably and millennial-ly as one would imagine: inflatable mattresses and awkward roommate encounters and repeated exhortations that the pair “can’t do this.” But Kumail doesn’t tell Emily that his family is actively searching for a Pakistani bride for him, for a traditional arranged marriage, and that for him, dating a white woman is asking to get disowned. Nanjiani plays an earlier version of himself, while Zoe Kazan plays Emily. Gordon, The Big Sick tells the actual story of how the two met in Chicago while he was an up-and-coming comedian and she was studying to be a therapist. Written by Nanjiani and his wife and writing–podcasting–comedy-stuff partner, Emily V. Maybe you even take for granted all the things that aren’t difficult or frustrating about it, until two years (or two hours) have passed and you look up and realize you’re in love. Like many long-term relationships, it’s the kind of thing you relax into, certainly not thinking at the outset that you’re in for anything monumental.
Say what you will about producer Judd Apatow, but his rambling house style is a universal normalizer five minutes in, you’ll swear The Big Sick is the 28th Pakistani-American girlfriend-in-a-coma romantic-comedy-drama you’ve seen. The best thing you can say about The Big Sick is that having Kumail Nanjiani as a romantic lead is maybe the 11th most remarkable thing about it. Photo: Photo by Sarah Shatz/© WHILE YOU WERE COMATOSE, LLC Kumail Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan in The Big Sick.
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