"The Big Sick": Infectious In All The Right Ways
The next entry in my quest to become a better movie buff is The Big Sick.
*Quick note: I'm going to be careful how I approach this critique in regards to spoilers because while this film is based on a true story, it's also a very recent film.
Released in theaters this past June, The Big Sick is a semi-autobiographical telling of comedian Kumail Nanjiani and his future wife, Emily Gordon's first few months of their relationship. Written by the Nanjiani couple and directed by Michael Showalter, viewers of The Big Sick get glimpses into several real-life moments between Kumail (played by himself) and Emily (last name "Gardner" in the film, played by Zoe Kazan). Moments like how they first met, Kumail showing Emily his favorite movie, and the week-long period in which Kumail got to know Emily's parents (played by Ray Romano and Holly Hunter) while she was in a coma. Sprinkled into the subplot is Kumail's struggle to balance living the average American lifestyle that he wants to live versus the cultural Pakistani Muslim lifestyle his parents wanted him to live.
The Big Sick is a uniquely great film in that it is somehow both foreign and relatable at the same time. Being a privileged, upper-middle class, white male from suburban Western Pennsylvania, the American experience of an immigrant Pakistani Muslim family in Chicago is presumably foreign to that of my own. Yet because this movie was co-written by a Pakistani immigrant who was brought up in that culture while being raised in America and a natural-born American who married into that culture, the story and family dynamic are showcased in a way that an outsider to that culture like myself can relate to. This is especially true given the timing of this film's release in relation to several things happening in the world and in my life right now.
From Kumail's point of view, I can relate to being a socially awkward goofball who says the dumbest things out of angst. From Kumail's point of view, I can relate to his hesitations with his parents' religious traditions in the same way I've tried to follow my own path and not the Catholic lifestyle my grandmother wanted for me. From Beth Gardner's (Holly Hunter's character) point of view, having watched and dealt with ignorant dickheads attacking people different from themselves, I (and apparently the current batch of students from my former high school) can somewhat relate to her negative experience in the comedy club (which I won't spoil). And from the point of view of Kumail and Emily's parents, I can relate to Emily's medical battles through watching my dad suffer setback after setback in his almost year-long battle with brain cancer.
From the other side of the coin though, I'm certain my dad can directly relate to what Emily went through, and vice-versa. My grandmother can probably relate to Kumail's parents, just wanting to see me be raised in an upbringing that she felt would work for me because it worked for her.
This a movie that anyone can say to a certain degree that they've lived through. If you want to say the same about Goon, Die Hard, or Kill Bill, then you'll likely need to do some mental gymnastics if you haven't lived a ridiculously action-packed life. Underneath our skin, we are all regular human beings with our own personal highs and lows. In today's hostile and racist political climate, we need to be reminded of that, and The Big Sick does that in a way that hits all the right emotional buttons. If you have the money, go check it out on DVD or Blu-Ray.
*Quick note: I'm going to be careful how I approach this critique in regards to spoilers because while this film is based on a true story, it's also a very recent film.
Released in theaters this past June, The Big Sick is a semi-autobiographical telling of comedian Kumail Nanjiani and his future wife, Emily Gordon's first few months of their relationship. Written by the Nanjiani couple and directed by Michael Showalter, viewers of The Big Sick get glimpses into several real-life moments between Kumail (played by himself) and Emily (last name "Gardner" in the film, played by Zoe Kazan). Moments like how they first met, Kumail showing Emily his favorite movie, and the week-long period in which Kumail got to know Emily's parents (played by Ray Romano and Holly Hunter) while she was in a coma. Sprinkled into the subplot is Kumail's struggle to balance living the average American lifestyle that he wants to live versus the cultural Pakistani Muslim lifestyle his parents wanted him to live.
The Big Sick is a uniquely great film in that it is somehow both foreign and relatable at the same time. Being a privileged, upper-middle class, white male from suburban Western Pennsylvania, the American experience of an immigrant Pakistani Muslim family in Chicago is presumably foreign to that of my own. Yet because this movie was co-written by a Pakistani immigrant who was brought up in that culture while being raised in America and a natural-born American who married into that culture, the story and family dynamic are showcased in a way that an outsider to that culture like myself can relate to. This is especially true given the timing of this film's release in relation to several things happening in the world and in my life right now.
From Kumail's point of view, I can relate to being a socially awkward goofball who says the dumbest things out of angst. From Kumail's point of view, I can relate to his hesitations with his parents' religious traditions in the same way I've tried to follow my own path and not the Catholic lifestyle my grandmother wanted for me. From Beth Gardner's (Holly Hunter's character) point of view, having watched and dealt with ignorant dickheads attacking people different from themselves, I (and apparently the current batch of students from my former high school) can somewhat relate to her negative experience in the comedy club (which I won't spoil). And from the point of view of Kumail and Emily's parents, I can relate to Emily's medical battles through watching my dad suffer setback after setback in his almost year-long battle with brain cancer.
From the other side of the coin though, I'm certain my dad can directly relate to what Emily went through, and vice-versa. My grandmother can probably relate to Kumail's parents, just wanting to see me be raised in an upbringing that she felt would work for me because it worked for her.
This a movie that anyone can say to a certain degree that they've lived through. If you want to say the same about Goon, Die Hard, or Kill Bill, then you'll likely need to do some mental gymnastics if you haven't lived a ridiculously action-packed life. Underneath our skin, we are all regular human beings with our own personal highs and lows. In today's hostile and racist political climate, we need to be reminded of that, and The Big Sick does that in a way that hits all the right emotional buttons. If you have the money, go check it out on DVD or Blu-Ray.
Haven't seen this yet (thanks for no spoilers). Can relate to your analysis. Why not embed a trailer or a relevant scene you discuss?
ReplyDeleteDr C
I probably should've included a trailer, but regarding the relevant scenes, I was trying to avoid spoilers.
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