Indie Gems: The Big Sick

2 day rule.

Kumail Nanjiani plays himself in the real life story on how he met his wife, Emily. (here played by Zoe Kazan) Kumail is originally from Pakistan and his parents want him to follow the traditional arranged marriage. While still going to "interviews" with women at his parent's dinner table, he meets grad student Emily and they begin a relationship. When she falls ill and is put into a medically induced coma, Kumail sticks by her side.

My indie theater only had this film for a week so I missed it. Nanjiani is hilarious on Silicon Valley so I love seeing him get more and more roles. Especially this one, which he wrote himself with his wife. It's not exactly how everything went down, but that's not our business. It's a fascinating look on how a 2nd generation immigrant can want something different from the traditional upbringing his parents had. And on top of that, it's got some laugh out loud hysterical moments. 

Because Nanjiani got his start in stand up, there's a lot of that in this film and it works. You can tell he isn't used to carrying emotional moments like some that are required in this film but he has so much heart you can excuse it. The supporting cast of Kazan, Zenobia Shroff, Anupam Kher, Holly Hunter, and Ray Romano are perfect in their roles as well.

Even with the serious subject matter, the film is not short on laughs and even knowing that Kumail and Emily are married in real life, you still root for them along the way and worry when things look like they're not working out. 

Grade: B

Watched on: Netflix DVD

Memorable Quote: "That all happened when I was asleep." - Emily (Zoe Kazan)