You Should See ‘The Big Sick’ As Soon As Humanly Possible

Wally Bryton7 years ago

This summer is packed with big blockbuster films. Spider-Man: Homecoming, Wonder Woman, War for the Planet of the Apes, not to mention the 5th Tr*nsformers movie directed by M*chael B*y (I had to censor those words; I felt dirty typing them). And hell, this summer we even have The Emoji Movie. The fact that movie was made is the best argument I have for the non-existence of God.


But squeezed into the middle is a smaller, quieter film called The Big Sick, an indie dramady that tugged on my heartstrings like a puppet master and made me bawl like a 7-year-old girl who just skinned her knee. It’s produced by Judd Apatow (The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Trainwreck, a zillion others) and stars Kumail Nanjiani (Silicon Valley). Kumail basically plays himself in the film, in a subtle move where they decided to name his character “Kumail Nanjiani.” Kumail and his wife, Emily V. Gordon, penned the screenplay, which is based on the true story of how they met. This movie is a hidden gem, and if we don’t make it a surprise hit I’ll lose all faith in humanity.

That last sentence is a lie; I already lost my faith in humanity the first time I saw the trailer for The Emoji Movie.



To sum up the plot without spoiling anything, Kumail and Emily (played by actress Zoe Kazan in the film) meet and fall in love in typical romantic comedy fashion. Then Emily falls ill. Her parents come to town, and Kumail is sandwiched between them, forced to bond with them. The parents are played by Holly Hunter (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice) and Ray Romano (the guy that everybody loves). The movie also has small supporting roles from Aidy Bryant (Saturday Night Live) and Bo Burnham (if you don’t know who Bo is, jump into a lagoon because you’re an embarrassment to your family).

Very few movies balance comedy and drama as perfectly as The Big Sick does. It’ll make you cry hard and laugh harder. I know, I know — I’m probably not selling this sentimental flick well, as I bet a lot of you toughguys feel too masculine to ever admit to crying. We get it: you’re manly. If both of your parents were murdered in front of you right now, you’d just smirk and say “Wow, I wish I wasn’t so tough because I should probably feel upset right now.” Congrats. Go fist yourself.

Back to the movie: the cultural clashes and religious gridlocks feel relevant due to the current racial tensions in our country. But it never feels forced; it feels smoothly organic. I can’t recommend The Big Sick enough. I wouldn’t be surprised if it got an Oscar nomination; it definitely deserves to.

Check this movie out and use your wallet to show Hollywood we don’t only care about superhero movies and Despicable Me sequels. You won’t regret it. We need all the positivity we can muster up before The Emoji Movie comes and ruins our country, so please go do your part..

Image via YouTube