If you like your romantic comedies to be both big-hearted and whip-smart, The Big Sick needs to be on your radar.
The critically-praised film tells the story of struggling Pakistani comedian Kumail (Kumail Nanjiani), who begins dating graduate student Emily (Zoe Kazan). As if dealing with pressures from his strict Muslim parents about arranged marriage isn’t difficult enough, Kumail is faced with another challenge when Emily suddenly falls ill and is put in an induced coma.
We promise that’s not a spoiler – have you heard the title of the film?
It might sound like a dreary melodrama, but the incredibly funny and life-affirming film is actually based on true events. Married co-writers Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon spun the details of their early relationship—when Emily was placed into a coma—into cinema gold.
Appearing on The Project on Thursday, Kumail explained that Emily’s medical scare wasn’t all that funny to live through, but sparked a screenplay five years on.
“It doesn’t sound like it, but the movie is a comedy,” Kumail joked.
The film has garnered critical praise, with Variety calling it the “the sharpest, funniest, and most touching romantic comedy in a long time”. Writing in The Atlantic, David Sims declared: “The recent death of the American rom-com has been much remarked upon, but it only takes one great film to zap it back into life. The Big Sick just might be that film.”
And filling The Girls shaped hole in our life, Judd Apatow serves as The Big Sick’s producer.
It’s set to be released in Australia on August 3. See you at the movies!
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