REVIEW: The Big SickBy Quinn OxleyJuly 17, 2017I love movies. That’s why I write for the ScreenFellas; that’s why 90% of my discretionary income goes to my local theaters; that’s why I’m going to school for cinematic arts. But there are two genres that I dread sitting through: supernatural horror, and rom-com. (Imagine how much I hated Warm Bodies.) Rom-coms have just always felt unbearably saccharine and formulaic, and I’ve only seen one or two (Hitch, and maybe Shallow Hal) that didn’t make me pucker.

So, I don’t consider The Big Sick a rom-com.

Referring to this film by that genre feels… disrespectful. Degrading. Yes, there was romance. To use a general term, it was adorable. And you’d better bet there was comedy. There were real laugh-out-loud moments that made me hide my tearing eyes with my hands. But this was something truly special.

When a random heckle at a comedy becomes a one night stand, which becomes an unconventional and interesting romance, Kumail (Kumail Nanjiani) and Emily (Zoe Kazan) attempt to cooperate their two vastly different cultures and navigate new-relationship-hood. Until Emily learns of Kumail’s mother’s constant efforts to set him up with various Pakistani women, whereupon she promptly exits his life, and falls prey to a nasty lung infection. Kumail reaches out to Emily’s parents (Holly Hunter and Ray Romano), who live life with him during the crisis.

The Big Sick is anything but saccharine. There’s an almost inexplicable reality to its story; I felt as though I was just watching something real happen, but it had the structure and artistry of a well-made movie with little tolerance for self-indulgence. Life happens to people and they rarely spout poetry in times of emotional turmoil. Love exists, but it doesn’t look like roses and white horses; it’s sitting in a hospital waiting room even though nothing can be done; it’s still taking care of the other person when every outside force dictates that you shouldn’t even speak with them.

This film also doesn’t follow any blueprints. There was only one scene in the entire film that felt paint-by-number in the least, but at that point I was willing to humor them enough to let it slide. The entire rest of the runtime - which was two hours, and I never once glanced at my watch - I was simply there, present with these people I’d come to know. I wasn’t wondering what would happen next; I wasn’t making any predictions. I was just there.

If I had to point out any shortcomings, I would have to note the slight imbalance in the film’s emphasis. We do see a decent portion of Kumail’s and Emily’s relationship, so we do feel for Kumail when she’s ill, but the ratio of time with her to time without her is a bit off, so we spend more time without her than we do with her. There are reminders of her personality here and there, but this is where I wish the film had been a bit more sentimental. However, this flaw is so insignificant in comparison to the beauty of The Big Sick that I can hardly call it a flaw. It was more of an observation.

Easily the best “rom-com” I’ve ever seen. This is a love letter to everything special.

Rating: 8.75/10

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