I should preface this by saying that I am an unabashed Judd Apatow fan. I know that there seems to be a clear divide in the sand between those who like his productions and those who don’t. Once thing that I find particularly interesting with this particular production is that it feels like the mo un-Apatow Apatow production yet and this has garnered it probably the most vocal and widespread praise of his career thus far!
This film is absolutely wonderful in so many ways. We can talk about the performances which are so well observed, so witty, and so genuine. We could talk about Michael Showalter’s direction and how he takes the beats and the timings we are comfortable with and used to and makes them feel fresh again. We can talk about the script and how it manages to be both one of the funniest examples of observational comedy based on relationships this year whilst also being a very frank and honest account on race and healthcare in a tight 2 hours that was very clearly on the page rather than improvised like so many other modern comedies.
The reason this film feels so much more real and resonates so well is because it is based on truth and the emotions are extremely relatable! It is heartfelt and passionate and shows people at their best and their worst. I was genuinely invested in every single character and it is testament to Kumail and Emily’s writing of what must have been an unbelievably hard time. It just goes to show that the more that cinematic fiction uses real experiences, the more real the cinematic experience feels.
Kumail is endlessly watchable here, Zoe Kazan takes the role of Emily head on and commits perfectly, and the Holly Hunter and Ray Romano double act steals the show whenever they’re on screen.
This film has been hyped a lot and there is always a worry that it might be hyperbolic praise however for me this one hit all the right buttons. I am going to enjoy this one again and again and I am genuinely interested to see what Kumail and Emily write together next as after they laid everything on the table here then god knows where they go next!
The Big Sick is out now on DVD and Blu-ray.
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