Movie · 2017 · Comedy, Drama, Romance · 2h · R · English
Curator score: 7.7/10 (410K ratings)
An awkward true story.
Overview
Pakistan-born comedian Kumail Nanjiani and grad student Emily Gardner fall in love but struggle as their cultures clash. When Emily contracts a mysterious illness, Kumail finds himself forced to face her feisty parents, his family's expectations, and his true feelings.
Ratings
Curator score: 7.7/10
IMDb: 7.5/10
Letterboxd: 3.76/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 98%
Metacritic: 86
TMDB: 7.3/10
Director
Michael Showalter
Production
FilmNation Entertainment, Apatow Productions, Story Ink
Cast
Kumail Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Anupam Kher, Zenobia Shroff, Adeel Akhtar, Bo Burnham, Aidy Bryant, Kurt Braunohler, Vella Lovell, Myra Lucretia Taylor, Jeremy Shamos, David Alan Grier, Ed Herbstman, Shenaz Treasury, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Kuhoo Verma, Mitra Jouhari, Celeste Arias
Where to watch
Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Curator Review
Verdict
A warm, sharply observed romantic dramedy that balances cultural specificity, stand-up humor, and real emotional stakes. It works especially well because the romance never feels generic: the family dynamics and illness plot give it a lived-in, humane texture.
Best for
viewers who like romantic comedies with real dramatic weight
fans of culture-clash stories and immigrant-family dynamics
people who want a funny film that still earns its tears
audiences drawn to relationship stories based on true events
Skip if
you want a purely light, joke-a-minute rom-com
you prefer highly stylized or formally adventurous filmmaking
medical-crisis stories are a turnoff
you dislike stories built around family pressure and cultural expectations
Overview
The Big Sick is one of the rare romantic comedies that feels both easy to watch and emotionally specific. It takes a familiar setup — falling in love, meeting the parents, getting tested by life — and grounds it in the details of Pakistani-American family expectations, stand-up culture, and the awkwardness of two people trying to be honest with each other.
Worth noting
What gives it staying power is the tonal balance. It can be very funny without undercutting the seriousness of Emily’s illness, and it can be tender without becoming syrupy. The supporting performances, especially from Holly Hunter and Ray Romano, help turn what could have been a standard indie romance into something richer and more adult.
Bottom line
It’s not trying to reinvent the genre, but it does something better: it makes the genre feel personal. The result is a crowd-pleaser with real feeling, and one of the more memorable modern rom-coms of its era.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Carrie (4★) · 4158 likes
"That's why I don't go on the internet. You go there and people hate Forrest Gump."
Oh shit I hope they don't find letterboxd
mulaney (4.5★) · 2346 likes
WE LOST 19 OF OUR BEST GUYSKFHSJFJF
cinéfila... 🕯️ (4★) · 1702 likes
i never thought i'd say this but ᶜᵃⁿ ᴵ ᵍᵉᵗ ᵘʰʰʰʰ adopted by holly hunter and ray romano
cathy (4★) · 1321 likes
i thought that holly hunter had already blessed mankind enough with her voice but then she went and ended every racist frat boy in existence? she is too generous!