The Big Sick

The Big Sick is a romantic drama based on the real-life relationship between writers Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon. Directed by Michael Showalter (Hello, My Name is Doris; Wet Hot American Summer) and produced by Judd Apatow (Trainwreck), the film premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival where it was quickly picked up for distribution. Nanjiani stars as himself in the film alongside Zoe Kazan, Holly Hunter, Ray Romano, Adeel Akhtar, and Anupam Kher.

THE BIG SICK tells the story of Pakistan-born aspiring comedian Kumail (Nanjiani), who connects with grad student Emily (Kazan) after one of his standup sets. However, what they thought would be just a one-night stand blossoms into the real thing, which complicates the life that is expected of Kumail by his traditional Muslim parents. When Emily is beset with a mystery illness, it forces Kumail to navigate the medical crisis with her parents, Beth and Terry (Hunter and Romano) whom he’s never met, while dealing with the emotional tug- of-war between his family and his heart.

Nanjiani always knew the writing process was going to be a personal challenge. “I hadn’t really grappled with the emotional experience of her illness yet. But it had been five years and the timing felt right. I think there’s a window when you still remember all the feelings and still feel them, but you have enough distance that you can break them down and get some perspective on them. You don’t want to wait so long that the feelings go away.”

The Big Sick is rated 14A.