The Films of Michael Showalter

The Baxter

Hello, My Name is Doris

The Big Sick (August 26/17)

Inspired by true events, The Big Sick follows fledgling comedian Kumail Nanjiani (Kumail Nanjiani) as he finds himself falling for a quirky grad student named Emily Gardner (Zoe Kazan) - with the narrative detailing the clash that ensues between Kumail and his parents (and also Emily's parents) in the wake of an unexpected medical crisis. It's immediately clear that The Big Sick benefits substantially from Nanjiani's exceedingly charming turn as the affable central character, with the effectiveness of his performance effectively heightening the impact of his character's hesitant, tentative relationship with Kazan's Zoe (and it certainly doesn't hurt that Nanjiani and Kazan share a great deal of chemistry together). But as entertaining and frequently funny as the first act is, The Big Sick proceeds into a palpably puffed-up midsection that's rife with overlong sequences and somewhat needless digressions - which, when coupled with an absurd running time of two hours, undoubtedly contributes heavily to the movie's increasingly problematic unevenness. (The third act, in particular, suffers from a spinning-its-wheels vibe that's compounded by a protracted fake break-up.) Still, The Big Sick mostly comes off as a superior romcom in an era when such films just aren't being produced on a regular basis - with the movie's mild success especially gratifying given its non-traditional leading man.