The Big Sick

About the film

The Big Sick is a 2017 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Michael Showalter and written by Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani. It stars Nanjiani, Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Adeel Akhtar, and Anupam Kher. Gordon and Nanjiani wrote the film based on their relationship; it follows an interracial couple who must deal with cultural differences after Emily (Kazan) becomes ill.

The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2017. It began a limited theatrical release on June 23, 2017, by Amazon Studios and Lionsgate, before going wide on July 14, 2017. One of the most acclaimed films of 2017, it was chosen by American Film Institute as one of the top 10 films of the year and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. With a budget of $5 million, it grossed $56 million worldwide, becoming one of the highest-grossing independent films of 2017.

Plot

Kumail is a struggling standup comedian, who hooks up with a UChicago grad student, Emily, after a performance at the local comedy club. Despite being from different races (Kumail is ethnically Pakistani while Emily is Caucasian), they start dating. After a few months, Emily confronts Kumail about photographs of other women she found in his apartment. Kumail says it's 'just a cultural thing' (these are women he has met for an arranged marriage), but Emily rejects the idea and breaks up with him. Deciding to focus on his career, Kumail targets a spot at the Montreal Comedy Festival. He is offered to audition, and hooks up with an audience member that same night.

Lying in bed, Kumail receives a distress call, informing him that Emily needs help after being admitted to the hospital. He goes to check on her, but doctors use his signature to place Emily in a medical coma, asking Kumail to inform her parents. The next day, Terry and Beth arrive from North Carolina. They are cold towards Kumail, but he continues checking in on Emily. Eventually, the three bond when doctors prepare Emily for surgery. Terry and Beth defend Kumail from racial hecklers at the comedy club, and spend the night with him at Emily's apartment, playing drinking games.

Kumail ignores his family's calls, as they attempt to set him up with other women for an arranged marriage. His parents show up at his apartment, leading to an argument in which they threaten to disown him. That evening, Emily's condition worsens, and Kumail bombs his Montreal audition as a result. Miraculously, Emily responds to anti-inflammatory treatment the next morning, and awakens from coma. She is diagnosed with a rare adult-onset Still's disease, but will fully recover. Unaware that Kumail was by her side throughout, she refuses to meet him and rejects his idea to get back together.

Production

In December 2015, it was announced Kumail Nanjiani would star in the film from a screenplay written by him and wife Emily V. Gordon, while Judd Apatow would produce alongside Barry Mendel, under their Apatow Productions banner, while FilmNation Entertainment would finance the film. Michael Andrews composed the film's score.

In February 2016, Zoe Kazan joined the cast, along with Holly Hunter and Ray Romano in April 2016. Unlike many of the other portrayals in The Big Sick, Romano's and Hunter's roles in the film were not modeled after Emily V. Gordon's actual parents. Instead, Hunter said that she never contacted or spoke with Gordon's mother before playing the part, as she wanted to "feel my own freedom with the character". In May 2016, Aidy Bryant, Bo Burnham, Adeel Akhtar and Kurt Braunohler also joined the cast of the film. David Alan Grier was cast in The Big Sick after he met with Gordon when she was a writer for The Carmichael Show. Grier's role was part of a larger subplot that was ultimately cut from the film's release.

Anupam Kher's casting in the film was reported in June 2016. He was directly contacted by Kumail Nanjiani, as Nanjiani's father had recommended Kher play the role. According to Kher, his character's last scene in the film was the first scene he had filmed for the production. The Big Sick marks Kher's 500th appearance in a feature film.

Release

The Big Sick premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2017. Shortly after, Amazon Studios acquired distribution rights to the film, after bids from Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Focus Features and Paramount Pictures. The $12 million acquisition marked the second-largest deal of the 2017 festival. Lionsgate partnered with Amazon on the U.S. release, and spent around $20 million on marketing the film. It also screened at South by Southwest on March 16, 2017, where it won an Audience Award in the category Festival Favorites. The film began a limited release on June 23, 2017, before going wide on July 14, 2017.

Controversy

There was backlash against the movie due to South Asian women being portrayed as stereotypical and undesirable. Also, Vella Lovell, an actress who is not of South Asian descent, played a Pakistani love interest with a strained accent.

In 2021, Kumail Nanjiani said, "Our movie was the first one in a long time where there were multiple Desi female characters, and the first few you see are reduced...People wanted to see themselves. It's something I completely regret. I would not do it that way now."

Key details