You’ll fall in love with THE BIG SICK

The big sick movie review

Brought to you by Roadshow Films and The Big Sick

I’m an avid podcast listener, most of them are just people chatting about the stuff they’ve been up to lately, movies they’ve seen, that kind of thing. That’s how the new movie THE BIG SICK, first got on my radar. Everyone was talking about how great this movie was so I couldn’t wait to see it for myself.

THE BIG SICK is the hilarious and heartwarming true story of aspiring comedian Kumail Nanjiani, who plays himself, and the convoluted romance that unfolds when he meets Emily after one of his stand-up sets.

Movie Review - The Big Sick

Kumail Nanjiani as “Kumail” in THE BIG SICK. Photo by Nicole Rivelli.

To complicate matters, Kumail’s traditional Pakistani parents keep trying to set him up with nice Pakistani girls; they just happen to ‘pop by’ whenever he is home for dinner. Obviously they are so disappointed that he’s a standup comic, so they just want this one little thing: marry a Pakistani girl.

Emily realises that Kumail won’t ever tell his parents about her, so she leaves him. Cue the tears. I actually really related to how betrayed she felt in the movie because I was in that very same situation once myself.

I once had a boyfriend in uni who hid our relationship from his parents for THREE YEARS! I was a big secret and it felt crappy. I wish I’d been strong like Emily in the movie and made a clean break as soon as I’d found out. It eventually ended in lots of drama that I’d rather forget, he chose his family over me, I felt like such a fool for being strung along for so long.

In the movie, just like in life, something dramatic happens to change Kumail’s perspective. The twist is in the title, so I don’t think I’m giving anything away, Emily gets sick struck by a mystery illness.

That doesn’t sound that funny, I hear you’re saying to yourself, but now it’s time to meet Emily’s parents and that’s when the real romantic story begins.

The Big Sick movie review

From L to R: Holly Hunter as “Beth,” Ray Romano as “Terry” and Kumail Nanjiani as “Kumail” in THE BIG SICK. Photo by Nicole Rivelli.

This movie is about love in it’s many forms. The love of a parent for their child, the way your love for a person changes over time and what happens when the timing just isn’t right.
It’s beautifully written with so many relatable funny moments that make you fall in love with the characters.

It feels very authentic because it’s actually based on the true story of the first year of Kumail and the real life Emily’s relationship. You couldn’t make up this truth-is-stranger-than-fiction culture-clash story where one of the main characters is in a coma for most of the film.

Film review: The Big Sick

Kumail Nanjiani as “Kumail” and Zoe Kazan as “Emily” in THE BIG SICK. Photo by Sarah Shatz.

Critics are raving about this film and it’s not hard to see why. There’s talk of Oscar nominations already.

This film is so sweet and endearing, but really packs some powerful emotional punches too. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll fall in love with THE BIG SICK. In cinemas now.

The big sick movie poster

4 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.