What a waste of my time!!!

Highly Overrated But Still Good

A Masterpiece!

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

We've got a good cast: Romano, Hunter, Bryant all support Kumail and Zoe in a tender little film about finding love.I have to explain some things: I was off in a parallel universe from mid 1990, so I hadn't seen SNL or Everyone Loves Raymond or really, any television since then. But some culture managed to seep in, so I know who Ray Romano is, one of my favourite movies is "ALWAYS" with Holly Hunter, and I like Aidy Bryant.I'm a HUGE fan of stand up. Every Sunday evening was capped by the Improv, something that I've missed for a quarter century.You'll enjoy this movie if you like behind the scenes moments, the insanity of home life, and how a lasting relationship can blossom. It manages to come full circle in a very lyrical way.

It's not what I expected. When I first saw the cover art, I guessed that it was about a guy from the middle east who falls in love with a white girl but hides the relationship from his parents because they would be unhappy about it. I imagined a boring, predictable run-of-the-mill rom-com. But that's not what The Big Sick is. It's so much more. My prediction was partially accurate. Kumail has devout and traditional Pakistani parents who want him to marry a Pakistani girl. He does fall in love with a white girl (Emily) and subsequently keep their relationship a secret from his parents. Then she gets sick. Doctors put her into a medically induced coma. Kumail stays the night with her in the hospital, waking up the next morning to see her parents have arrived. Kumail and Emily's parents spend countless hours together over the next few weeks, bonding over their shared intense experience. Kumail realizes how much he loves Emily and is forced to consider the reality of telling his family about her and fight 1400 years of Pakistani tradition. The film manages to avoid all the possible pitfalls that surround a story like this. It somehow even manages to be surprising, which seems impossible, given that it is still a romantic comedy.Its greatest strength is its authenticity. All the characters feel fully formed. Part of that is because this is a true story, part of that is the exceptional acting from every key performer, and part of that is brilliant, Oscar-nominated writing. It perfectly balances humor and heart. This is a heavy, hearty story, so humor is vital. But, too much humor would take away from the seriousness and make the conversations feel fake. Every conversation sounds real. Every story does too. Each detail is ironed out.Maybe this shouldn't come as too big a shock since Kumail has undoubtedly been telling this story for years. But, there is huge difference between telling this story at a dinner party and executing it on the big screen. Everything is so smooth, so seamless. It works on every level, emotional, humorous, family, cultural. It's a marvel of storytelling. I would strongly recommend this movie to absolutely anyone. It's one of my favorite movies of the decade.

I knew I wanted to see this after seeing Kumail make the late-night talk show circuit, and it far exceeded my expectations. His humor is so real, so effortless, and the chemistry between them was amazing. Holly Hunter and Ray Romano as the parents were perfect, bringing both grief and humor in the same scenes. This is one of those movies I can watch over and over again, and not get tired of it. The only down side for me was the scenes in the comedy club and his "one man show". I understand the importance of them to the story, but for me they were really just good points to go get a snack.

I was fairly critical while watching the film because, I am going through the exact same set of events depicted in the plot for the film. To my considerable surprise it was quite relevant. If some over-the-top dramatic scenes required for a feature film to be effective are cornered, this is exactly what happens in our part of the world when you propose a girl to marry you against your parents wishes. The film has a very feel-good vibe to it nevertheless. The story is serious but, the situational comedy is perfect. There are no punch lines or slapstick humor to get you laugh but, the conditions are such that it looks effortless and that the real beauty of this Rom-Com. I believe it is extremely difficult to write your own life story for screen and moreover to relieve it by being the main character in it but, doing stand-up for a living actually helped Kumail in accomplishing this difficult task. The vulnerabilities, insecurities and sensitivities are truly exposed by the writers. At times he feels helpless and at times strong enough to be on his own and face the consequences. All in all, this film will not preach you any life lessons but, you will be candidly amused by the chain of events and smile all the time. And then there is that final lovey-dovey, sugary-sweet happy ending which will make you more elated.