The Big Sick (2017)
July 1, 2017 8:52 AM - Subscribe

Ever since his bit about the drug cocktail called "cheese" was featured on This American Life in 2010, I've been intrigued by Kumail Nanjiani. I've seen him pop up with wonderful small parts in Portlandia and Garfunkel and Oates, but now he's made an autobiographical movie (written together with his wife Emily V. Gordon) about struggling against cultural differences and parental expectations while discovering love and pursuing the dream of comedy. It is both deeply touching and hilarious as the cheese bit ever was.
posted by Cogito (13 comments total) 9 users marked this as a favorite
 
I have been enjoying the promotional materials, and I want to see this, but it is in "limited release" and unlikely to appear in my small town theater. Any idea when The Big Sick will be available for purchase on Amazon for decent hardworking 21st century humans to consume?
posted by seasparrow at 8:36 AM on July 3, 2017


It goes into wide release on July 14th. I don't know how wide that means, though.

I saw it yesterday and enjoyed it a lot.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 2:50 PM on July 3, 2017 [1 favorite]


This was such a fantastic movie. So sweet and touching and hilarious. Highly, highly recommended.
posted by everybody had matching towels at 6:26 PM on July 3, 2017


Info on the wider release here
posted by Cogito at 9:35 AM on July 4, 2017 [1 favorite]


I got to see this a few days ago in New York City. Some of what's great about it:

It's a story about an immigrant, from a South Asian immigrant family, that rings SO INCREDIBLY true -- there is a particular dinner table bit, with Kumail and his mother, that made me guffaw like I'd been punched in the belly because it felt ripped from my own memories.

This is a story with no villains (barring like 2.5 minutes in the middle), where a bunch of people try to make hard decisions and do the best they can and no one is evil or cavalier. The dialogue reflects that -- realistic on a level I rarely see in film.

You get to see fascinating, so-true little glimpses of comedian life. Aidy Bryant from SNL is in there and I always enjoyed seeing her.

I don't think I'd ever seen anything with Ray Romano before - he was reliably funny.

Kumail Nanjiani is such a great presence, funny and sweet and wry. I hope he gets a zillion leading man parts from here on out.
posted by brainwane at 10:06 AM on July 7, 2017 [2 favorites]


I was introduced to Kumail and Emily through their excellent and now understandably on-permanent-hiatus Indoor Kids gaming podcast. Really happy to see their careers take off like this: they came across like very nice people who clearly love each other very much (and are genuinely into celebrating nerdy shit).

Hope this movie does well and leads to more projects for both.
posted by slimepuppy at 11:02 AM on July 7, 2017


I saw this yesterday (in Evansville, Indiana, so it is definitely out in wide release now) and I liked it a lot. I haven't liked much of Ray Romano before, but I thought he was great in this. (The whole cast is, but he surprised me.)

It's a delightful movie, and I hope Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon have a lot more stories to tell.

I only had one very minor complaint, which was about the sound, but I think that was a theater problem rather than a production problem.
posted by minsies at 10:06 AM on July 16, 2017


Saw it a few days ago and loved it and I'm lowkey obsessed with it. I'm from a very different Asian culture but so much of the movie resonates.
posted by kmz at 5:49 PM on July 20, 2017


Just saw it tonight and I loved it as much as I thought I would. Kumail Nanjiani is always funny but he was a really great, charismatic lead here.

I've had several friends go through versions of this (immigrant family that wants their child to do an arranged marriage and the child wants to be with someone outside their culture) on both sides and it's heart-wrenching. I thought the movie handled it really well.

My only quibble is that it was kind of hard to believe his one man show was quite that bad at the beginning. But I supposed they exaggerated for comedic effect.

I only had one very minor complaint, which was about the sound, but I think that was a theater problem rather than a production problem.

I actually noticed several times there were lines I couldn't quite hear. So maybe it was the production?
posted by lunasol at 9:14 PM on July 24, 2017


It finally came to my town and I got to see it before it's gone.

I normally don't like Ray Romano, but he was very endearing here. Holly Hunter was .... very Grace from Saving Grace, it cracked me up a lot, especially in the heckler scene. Zoe Kazan was also very endearing (also, watching her made me want to go watch "In Your Eyes" again), I liked how she and her mother had the same kind of honest sass.

Overall, I think it's pretty well done. I dunno how charismatic Kumail is as an actor (dude is a bit stonefaced), but I enjoyed seeing his journey. Even if I did wonder how the heck he got a one man show periodically and got anyone to see it (after seeing La La Land, one wonders).
posted by jenfullmoon at 9:51 PM on August 3, 2017


It's a story about an immigrant, from a South Asian immigrant family, that rings SO INCREDIBLY true -- there is a particular dinner table bit, with Kumail and his mother, that made me guffaw like I'd been punched in the belly because it felt ripped from my own memories.

Oh god, me too. Some of the dinner scenes; I've heard my dad make the same jokes.

Also the whole randomly bursting into renditions of songs from movies from 30 years ago.
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 5:07 AM on August 13, 2017


I got to see this yesterday as it is included with Prime. I am a huge fan of Holly Hunter and loved her in this. I loved the complicated and loving relationship she and Ray Romano's characters had. I really loved everything about this movie and laughed out loud multiple times (while also crying).
posted by jillithd at 9:52 AM on January 25, 2018


This one was so naturalistic and funny and sweet. Really enjoyed it.
posted by orange swan at 9:07 PM on August 10, 2018 [1 favorite]


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