The Big Sick

Dir: Michael Showalter

2017

****

If I was a Pakistani actor living in America I would run a mile away from any film that saw my character explore my cultural roots and enter into a doomed relationship due to my parent’s opinion on arranged marriage. It’s about as cliché as it gets and I personally want more from actors of various backgrounds. I want to learn more of other cultures but certain tales have been told to death – there has to be something more, and that being the case, I openly admit I totally overlooked The Big Sick. Not only does it buck the trend in many respects, it is also based on a true story and is written by the people the actors portray – Kumail Nanjiani actually playing himself. He and now wife Emily V. Gordon met in the early 00s and their cultural differences weren’t really a problem until Nanjiani became apprehensive about her meeting his family, however, life change dramatically for the pair when Emily suddenly fell ill with a mystery illness. She was placed in an induced coma for some time until she was eventually diagnosed with adult-onset Still’s disease, a serious illness that is so rare it often takes time to diagnose but is easily treated. During Emily’s coma, Kumail is forced to spend time with her parents and to also consider his relationship with regards to his families beliefs. Much of the script is fictional but most of the story is based on real-life events. It’s slightly odd that Kumail plays himself and Emily is played by someone else (Zoe Kazan) but the onscreen chemistry is believable and it works. Many cliches are dealt with early on, which is a great relief, with Kumail later commenting on how his family should be portrayed by bemoaning that so many Muslim characters are frequently depicted as overly serious. He makes a point of showing his family with the jokey and humorous traits they have in real life, avoiding the untrue stereotype, breaking down assumption and dispelling preconception. I think the fact that producer Judd Apatow is involved made me expect a different film altogether, and while Kumail is a stand up comic and Holly Hunter and Ray Romano’s characters are partly down to him, it is a very different film to his other works. The term ‘interracial relationship’ seems archaic to me after living in the big city all my life and having ex-girlfriends of different colours and creeds, but actually people do behave towards you when you are involved with someone from a different culture, there are challenges, and these always come from the older generation. In my experience they’ve had to lump it, and soon they’ve learnt to except. This will be a thing of the past in the near future, I’m sure of it, and maybe The Big Sick is playing a part in putting the subject to bed once and for all. However, all that aside, this is a really heartwarming film that I absolutely adored. I almost wanted more of it to be true, but the core message is sound and the love is real. Nanjiani and Kazan are great together – it must have been weird for both of them having the real Emily watching from behind the camera – but it’s clearly the result everyone wanted. The structure of the story is also quite clever, swapping between stand-up and real life is no new thing, but it doesn’t always work, Nanjiani pulls if off brilliantly. The scenes between Kumail and his brother are a highlight and the backstage banter between comics works well. For me though, it is the performances from Holly Hunter and Ray Romano that really lift the film and what is even more great, is that they almost come from nowhere. Emily’s parents could have been just as stereotypical as Kumail’s, but thankfully they’re anything but – although nothing like her parents in real life. The scenario is odd, it’s obviously something that happened in real life, quite devastating in places, but thoroughly romantic. However, it is the brilliant performances and character chemistry that makes The Big Sick such a joy to watch.