Tanay Chaudhari Chronicling the semi-autobiographical story of the courtship of a real-life inter-racial couple, "The Big Sick" is a drama rom-com set in Chicago. Stand-up comedian of Pakistani-origin, Kumail Nanjiani (playing himself) and an American psychology student Emily Gardner (Zoe Kazan, "What If...") couldn't struggle long enough to keep their romance alive when one unfortunate day, Emily takes critically ill only to be put into an induced coma. What follows goes beyond the tests of conventional norms of human relationships which would shape the lives of one another.Kumail and the "real" Emily (now happily married) pen a tale that at its heart is about "togetherness". Carefully touching upon tedious conventional issues of arranged marriages and inter-cultural faith it thankfully doesn't make things too serious through its smart and often brainy humourous- exchanges. At the same time, the film freely steps away from the stereotype of sacrificing family for love and vice-versa. In a scene, Kumail comes to dinner to his parents (Anupam Kher and Zenobia Shroff, "Ek Mai aur Ekk Tu") who disowned him for falling for a non-Muslim, where he adeptly declares via conversation display cards that "he refuses to allow them to reject him". Similarly, before Emily's surgery while still in medical coma, her parents (Oscar winner Holly Hunter and Ray Romano, "Everybody Loves Raymond") enter the film with an air of parental protectiveness which though, staunch and skeptic grows upon the viewers quite like the way it did for Kumail in both reel and real-life. What's subtly remarkable in the film is the usage of "stand-up" performance portions. "Heckling" marks the first meeting occasion for our protagonists; plus, as a spot when Emily's distraught parents lashing out a racist attendee in one of Kumail's bits and later, improving their bond with him. And then at a beautiful climax, when a heckle calls back a gush of heartwarming emotions.So, is "The Big Sick" an overly sensitive film? Yes and No. Some may call it "excessively pleasant" citing it carries a thoroughly positive undercurrent without overflowing its goodness factor. However, it doesn't get mushy about romance and depicts a multitude of human-bonds without overstaying the spot. Involving some heavily seasoned writing skills (a rightful Academy Award nomination for the Best Original Screenplay) with one of the best casting choices (esp. with Zoe and Holly), it won't be an exaggeration to call it one amongst the marvels of the previous year's new-age independent English cinema which righteously deserves to be watched and remembered.A homely-likable 8.25/10

Jared_Andrews It's not what I expected. When I first saw the cover art, I guessed that it was about a guy from the middle east who falls in love with a white girl but hides the relationship from his parents because they would be unhappy about it. I imagined a boring, predictable run-of-the-mill rom-com. But that's not what The Big Sick is. It's so much more. My prediction was partially accurate. Kumail has devout and traditional Pakistani parents who want him to marry a Pakistani girl. He does fall in love with a white girl (Emily) and subsequently keep their relationship a secret from his parents. Then she gets sick. Doctors put her into a medically induced coma. Kumail stays the night with her in the hospital, waking up the next morning to see her parents have arrived. Kumail and Emily's parents spend countless hours together over the next few weeks, bonding over their shared intense experience. Kumail realizes how much he loves Emily and is forced to consider the reality of telling his family about her and fight 1400 years of Pakistani tradition. The film manages to avoid all the possible pitfalls that surround a story like this. It somehow even manages to be surprising, which seems impossible, given that it is still a romantic comedy.Its greatest strength is its authenticity. All the characters feel fully formed. Part of that is because this is a true story, part of that is the exceptional acting from every key performer, and part of that is brilliant, Oscar-nominated writing. It perfectly balances humor and heart. This is a heavy, hearty story, so humor is vital. But, too much humor would take away from the seriousness and make the conversations feel fake. Every conversation sounds real. Every story does too. Each detail is ironed out.Maybe this shouldn't come as too big a shock since Kumail has undoubtedly been telling this story for years. But, there is huge difference between telling this story at a dinner party and executing it on the big screen. Everything is so smooth, so seamless. It works on every level, emotional, humorous, family, cultural. It's a marvel of storytelling. I would strongly recommend this movie to absolutely anyone. It's one of my favorite movies of the decade.

anderslilya So good and important about culture clashes and love and why not hide and lie about things.

firangipaani I was fairly critical while watching the film because, I am going through the exact same set of events depicted in the plot for the film. To my considerable surprise it was quite relevant. If some over-the-top dramatic scenes required for a feature film to be effective are cornered, this is exactly what happens in our part of the world when you propose a girl to marry you against your parents wishes. The film has a very feel-good vibe to it nevertheless. The story is serious but, the situational comedy is perfect. There are no punch lines or slapstick humor to get you laugh but, the conditions are such that it looks effortless and that the real beauty of this Rom-Com. I believe it is extremely difficult to write your own life story for screen and moreover to relieve it by being the main character in it but, doing stand-up for a living actually helped Kumail in accomplishing this difficult task. The vulnerabilities, insecurities and sensitivities are truly exposed by the writers. At times he feels helpless and at times strong enough to be on his own and face the consequences. All in all, this film will not preach you any life lessons but, you will be candidly amused by the chain of events and smile all the time. And then there is that final lovey-dovey, sugary-sweet happy ending which will make you more elated.