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Kumail (Kumail Nanjiani) is a Pakistani comedian. You
wouldn’t know that he is Pakistani except for the fact that he typically brings
it up within 20 second of meeting someone, it is what his whole comedy routine
is about, what his (separate) one-man show is about, and what most of this
movie is about.
But Kumail’s nationality is not just relevant because it
is a centerpiece of the movie; it is also relevant because it bears directly on
his options in life, and indeed, in this story. For example, it is understood
that Kumail will pray five times a day (like a good Muslim). It is also
understood—really, really deeply understood—that Kumail will marry a Pakistani
woman (perhaps even of his parents’ choosing).
Sure, Kumail could
do otherwise—free country and all that. But then he’d have to deal with
annoying little detail of being completely ousted, ostracized, shunned, and
abandoned by his whole family.
So when Kumail falls for Emily (Zoe Kazan)—a white girl
he meets at a bar—an “uh oh” is lurking. At first it was just a one-night
stand, so no big deal as far as his none-the-wiser family goes. But as Kumail
and Emily “accidentally” bump into each other with increasing frequency (each
promised to be uninterested in a serious relationship … oops), the looming
threat of their dueling backgrounds inches its way to the fore.
And yet Emily and Kumail are so adorable. They are both
sort of dorky, have a similar witty, sarcastic sense of humor, don’t abide a
lot of nonsense, and have just the right number of quirks to make them human yet
not annoying.
But Kumail still hasn’t told his family. Emily does not
like this. Kumail does not like that Emily does not like this. Emily really does not like that Kumail does
not like that she does not like this. Kumail really does not understand. Uh oh.
Now, despite the unconventional-seeming relationship, and
despite it being urged upon us that This Is An Unconventional Relationship!,
the story up to this point is pretty conventional. When it really comes down to
it, the Pakistani-background aspect of the story is pretty superficial. We don’t
get any really deep insights into Pakistani culture, or into how it fundamentally
shapes Kumail’s life or relationships. We mostly just hear about arranged
marriages, naan, Islam, and a few other bits of trivia. So the movie just feels
like a conventional “two worlds collide” type story that happens to be of the
Pakistani variety.
But then the movie takes a turn for the unconventional.
And a dark turn at that. Emily gets sick. Really sick. And a (now estranged)
Kumail wants to be there. But he has to deal with Emily’s understandably
defensive parents. And then of course there are his own parents in the mix.
Ugh. As Emily’s dad (Ray Romano) says, “Love isn’t easy.” No joke, dad.
By the end, the story veers back toward conventional. But
not necessarily in a bad way—the execution is solid. Plus, I guess it turns out
to be a true (-ish) story. So I suppose there is only so much that creative license
can license.
Still, this movie is at its best when it is on the edgier
side. There are some nice, complex moments littered throughout the movie. For
example, whilst having a man-to-man, heart-to-heart one night, Emily’s dad
tells Kumail that you don’t really know who your true love is until you’ve
cheated on him/her. Sounds like an awful thing to say, especially to your
daughter’s boyfriend. But maybe there’s a point in there (not about cheating,
but about hurt and loss more generally).
Morals aside, “The Big Sick” is distinctively pleasant. The
story is interesting, and the characters are infectious. Kumail is understated
and funny (though his stand-up is wanting, in my opinion). Emily is kooky in the
best sort of way. And Emily’s parents add some flavor, too.
“The Big Sick” does feel a bit like a big studio movie
dressed up like an indy movie. But who cares? It’s easy to watch.
