One of the best movies of 2017 (so far) has come home on digital download, DVD and Blu-Ray, The Big Sick. The real-life love story of co-writers Kumail Ninjiani and Emily V. Gordon makes a heartwarming splash and single-handedly revives the dormant rom-com genre with giant strokes of realism-based humor and drama that will have audiences desiring to witness the film more than once. That’s right — this one is a must-own as you will want to see it over and over in your lifetime… like anytime you need a bit of life affirmation. Yup, it’s that kind of good.
Ninjiani stars as himself and filmmakers found the perfect Emily in ingénue Zoe Kazan. The two have irresistible chemistry as they show the world how these two lovebirds bucked the odds and found love in the most extraordinary of circumstances, laced with all sorts of challenges.
Joining Ninjiani and Kazan in the brilliance department is Oscar winner Holly Hunter and Ray Romano as her parents. The quartet makes every moment of this movie bliss, but first… we need to back up.
Ninjiani was working as a stand-up comic and an Uber driver in Chicago when he met Gordon. She “heckled” him during one of his shows and the two immediately hit if off. The problem arose when his Pakistani family’s values became too much for him and the expectations of him marrying a like-cultured woman caused him and Gordon to break up, despite them being an absolutely perfect pair.
Soon after, Gordon fell into a coma and with no one else to call to help out, her friend phoned Ninjiani to relieve her at the hospital and more importantly, to call Gordon’s parents and inform them what had happened. As soon as Romano’s Terry and Hunter’s Beth arrive, they wonder what this ex-boyfriend is doing still hanging around the waiting room. Turns out, he is filled with regret and wishes nothing more than for her to get better so he can tell her how he feels.
Gordon and Ninjiani achieve this in the film in the most compelling and adoring ways. After all, the subject of his affection is in a coma. His intentions, lament and love must all be expressed to her parents in a way that is believe it or not, not the least bit awkward!
It is the most fascinating way to have two people fall in love in a movie, and through Ninjiani’s stand-up comic vocation, it is done with humor, heart and heaps of touching moments that finds him overwhelmingly winning over her parents.
And you know what they say, if you can win over the parents, the daughter is likely to follow.
The thing is… it’s not that easy. Gordon is a strong-willed soul and simply being there when she wakes up will not do it for her. Kazan brilliantly expresses this through her performance and it culls compassion for the audience that melds with our unyielding desire to see these two work it out. Clearly, we know they will as the couple at the heart of the love story, well… they wrote it!
Ninjiani and Kazan have all the charm in the world and because of that fact, this film is one that can be witnessed over and over across a lifetime. Hunter and Romano deliver some of their best work in years. In fact, it is Romano’s best work ever and if he doesn’t get nominated for a Best Supporting Actor Oscar, we will be heartbroken.
The Big Sick also does something else that is purely priceless. Ninjiani’s family traditions, and some could argue restraints, that are thrust upon him — illustrate something in the story that shows that the struggle to find a perfect match, satisfy our parents and make a love affair work in this crazy world of ours is a universal dilemma. Regardless of the hurdles, we all have to jump through hoops to make something worthwhile work. It may be cultural differences or distance or future aspirations. But, in the end if love is love, the heart wants what the heart wants and that is never truer than explored in The Big Sick.
The Real Story featurette is by far the most compelling. It showcases Gordon and Ninjiani talking about the making of the movie and therefore, the origins of their romance. These two are beyond adorable in real life and the bonus feature only further enhances what is witnessed in the film itself. These two were destined to be together and we see that the challenges, from her illness to his family pressures, only made their bond stronger and more suited for the test of time.
A Personal Journey: The Making of The Big Sick is a nice, EPK-like look at the process of bringing this story to the big screen. Joining Ninjiani in discussing the finer details of the film itself is producer extraordinaire Judd Apatow (Trainwreck). At almost 15 minutes, this making-of doc is the perfect length and has a sensational tone and tenor that befits a film of such magnificent magnitude.
The Big Sick: The Other Stuff is entertaining and engaging as it combines outtakes with a gag reel feel that is charmingly enjoyable. Also interesting is the inclusion of the 2017 SXSW Film Festival Panel, which gives even more insight from the cast and crew about the making of the film. We especially enjoy hearing others involved in the creative process of the film discuss their impressions of Gordon and Ninjiani.
Whether you are a fan of commentary tracks or not, the one on The Big Sick is honestly one you will not want to miss. With such a personal film where the people behind it have revealed themselves so much on screen and through their screenplay, the opportunity of hearing them discuss it as you are witnessing the film itself is simply astounding and quite meta on so many levels.
Film Grade: A
Bonus Features: A