The Big Sick (2017)

We've got a good cast: Romano, Hunter, Bryant all support Kumail and Zoe in a tender little film about finding love.I have to explain some things: I was off in a parallel universe from mid 1990, so I hadn't seen SNL or Everyone Loves Raymond or really, any television since then. But some culture managed to seep in, so I know who Ray Romano is, one of my favourite movies is "ALWAYS" with Holly Hunter, and I like Aidy Bryant.I'm a HUGE fan of stand up. Every Sunday evening was capped by the Improv, something that I've missed for a quarter century.You'll enjoy this movie if you like behind the scenes moments, the insanity of home life, and how a lasting relationship can blossom. It manages to come full circle in a very lyrical way.

The Big Sick is a film about the interracial relationship of a Pakistani Muslim guy and an American girl. The story is loosely based on the real-life of the starring actor Kumail Nanjiani and his wife Emily. It is also written by the couple, and got itself a nomination for the Best Original Screenplay. The Big Sick has a runtime of 117 minutes and released on January 20, 2017 in Sundance Film Festival. The Big Sick is one of the films in which you can feel the reality American culture and their lifestyle. The Big Sick is produced by Judd Apatow. I am very familiar with his work and know what to expect from his films, but this film manages to put itself in a totally different place than his usual productions. In The Big Sick, we see Kumail, playing himself, as an amateur standup comedian and an Uber driver. During one of his performances he meets Emily and they start dating against his family's general belief that he must get married to a Pakistani woman. In the meantime Emily contracts a mysterious illness which leads Kumail to face Emily's parents and his inner feelings and question the motives of his true beliefs.The film's genres are comedy, drama and romance but the story is deeper than that. It gets its opening point from the religion and cultural differences, but I find it pretty useless to see the scenes in which an American still asks the Muslim guy about 9/11, or when Kumail is on the stage, someone from the audience yells at him to go back to ISIS. These scenes make the film go towards a different direction than it is meant to, because, from the beginning, the director wants us to believe that this is a romantic comedy, but out of nowhere it dives into political sensitivity and shows scenes like these I have mentioned above. We get the idea that Muslims have a lot of issues after 9/11, but after all those years, still using this as an argument is senseless. After these scenes I ask myself; What is the real point of this film? Is it a romantic comedy or is it just one of the thousand films in which people get to anticipate the problems of Muslims? In my opinion director Michael Showalter tries to create a rhythm but doesn't do a very good job. This is the only weak point of The Big Sick.The film has most of the key points of a romantic comedy and you get to see some dramatic scenes as well. The director manages to combine these genres in harmony but this doesn't mean that The Big Sick doesn't have the clichés of these genres. The background of the film is built on a socially sensitive subject called religion. The main characters have different backgrounds, and in the beginning this barrier seems to be the only reason why they can't be together. Because we understand from the film that Pakistani people are conservative and marry only among themselves. Similar story was issued in the My Big Fat Greek Wedding. There, the groom didn't belong to a different religion but a different sect of Christianism. Here, they not only belong to a completely different religion but also different countries. As a Muslim guy, Kumail has no difference than an American, but his background still has the roots and signs of his home country. When you pay attention to the progression of the film, you see that Kumail questions his religion by asking why a Muslim guy must have a beard for example. The actor who is playing himself as Kumail Nanjiani refuses to practice Islam in his real life. I find his gestures and mimics pretty natural and his natural reactions to the events creates the funny atmosphere of the film. I like the fact that his behaviors are completely natural and because of that I have the feeling that I watch his real life.Kumail's progress as a decent human being is incredibly successful given the fact that his family is religious and doesn't accept anything other than Islam and its rules. As a Muslim guy, I will never understand people who leave their own country because of living conditions and move to a different country in which they use the benefits of that country but refuse to be a part of their society. From their lifestyles to the food they are eating, they still live the life of Pakistan but in much better conditions. They create a closed culture and doesn't let anyone enter. In the mean time when they get sick, they don't hesitate to use health services of that country for example. Even though these are valid points, still it doesn't serve the purpose of a romantic comedy.

From start to finish The Big Sick delivers laughs and emotion that draws you in further and further until you fall in love with these characters.

When a true story is so stunning it becomes a film. This is not a joke film where they go over the top for laughs. It's a true story and it feels like it. Genuine fun. They tweeked it just a little so that some events are more obvious but they remain true feelings for us. Great story that becomes a great film that can make you think. Intelligent and sensible throughout.