Kumail Nunjiani is a Pakistani stand-up comedian that most
of you have seen in one movie or TV series somewhere at some time. Ever watch
FRANKLIN & BASH? He had a sidekick role in that series. See CENTRAL
INTELLIGENCE with Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart? He had a bit part in that as
well. In other words he’s been in the business for a while but it took him
telling his own personal story for him to get a major lead in a film. That
movie is THE BIG SICK.
The movie is autobiographical and tells Nunjiani’s story as
well as that of his girlfriend Emily. A stand-up comedian who works as an Uber
type driver to pay his bills, Kumail shares an apartment with another comedian
while perfecting his act. He faithfully shows up for Sunday dinner at his
parent’s house where there is always a doorbell ringing and his mother saying
“Oh I wonder who that could be?” knowing full well it is another prospect for
marriage she’s arranged to stop by for him to meet. His is a world of two cultures
and he’s doing his best to maintain both.
That changes one evening when he’s jokingly heckled by a
young woman in the audience. He sees her at the bar afterwards, strikes up a
conversation and learns her name is Emily (Zoe Kazan). The two hit it off and
though they continue to tell each other this is nothing serious, they spend
more and more time together. But fearing the repercussions of his family and
their disowning him should he date let alone marry an American rather than a
Pakistani girl, he tells them nothing. When Emily finds out, the two part ways.
Kumail misses Emily and one night gets a call from her
girlfriend. Emily is in the hospital for a virus and she needs someone to be
there since its finals week and she can’t go. Kumail does, finds Emily is
unhappy to see him and then the doctors tell him that she needs intubated
immediately. It appears she has a major infection and needs to be placed in an
induced coma. With her parents on the way but not there yet, Kumail signs the
forms.
Emily’s parents do arrive after she’s already in the coma.
Beth (Holly Hunter) and Terry (Ray Romano) thank Kumail but Beth gives him a
cold shoulder. She knows what happened between him and Emily. As the days pass
and they get to know Kumail they begin to soften in their attitudes toward him.
They come to know him for who he is. At the same time Kumail begins to realize
that perhaps he has lost the most important person in his life. The time will
come when he must decide who controls his life, what he wants from this world
and what he is willing to do to make that happen.
Being as how the film revolves around a stand-up comedian
most would think this is a comedy. In many moments throughout the film it is
that but at the core it is a love story of great emotional depth that will
catch people off guard and that’s a good thing. While most romantic films are
based on clichés and little more this movie has that basis in reality which
makes us care more about the characters. That’s because we know they aren’t
just characters but real people. As the film draws closer to its final moments
we wait to discover the outcome of the lives of both Kumail and Emily as well
as Beth, Terry and Kumail’s family. If you know the outcome don’t ruin it for
those who don’t. Let them be happy or sad on their own.
Nunjiani does a great job here playing, well, himself. That
might sound easy but to do the same scene over and over again while filming and
knowing you’re revealing some intimate moments from your life the truth is it
wouldn’t be. Kazan does a great job as well and no, she doesn’t always appear
in a coma in this film. Her interplay with Nunjiani feels natural and real, the
basis for a good shared performance between performers. We will always expect a
great performance from Hunter and she does indeed bring Beth to life. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the
performance of Romano. We know he’s a great stand-up in real life and can
handle comedy from past experience. But here he plays a man in personal pain
trying to make the best of the situation, a father who can’t tell a joke well
and is having personal problems of his own at the moment.
Well written, well acted, well constructed, this is one of
those movies you’ll watch and enjoy as it unfolds. My guess is it won’t get
nominated for anything even if it should. It’s much better than some movies
I’ve seen nominated recent years, better in some cases than those that have
won. It touches your heart, it touches your soul and it makes you reflect on
the people in your own life while at the same time entertaining. What more
could you ask of a movie?
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