Overview
A heartfelt blend of humor and drama unfolds as love faces unexpected challenges.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- heartfelt
- sarcastic
- date night
- comfort viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film funny, heartfelt, intelligent, and culturally fresh, praising its performances and revitalization of the romantic-comedy form.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Emily's medically induced coma transforms Kumail's emerging relationship into an urgent emotional and family predicament.
Kumail's relationship with Emily conflicts with his Muslim Pakistani family's expectations that he marry within their community.
Kumail's budding stand-up career becomes a comic counterpoint to his difficulty confronting illness, family pressure, and personal belief.
Kumail must placate relatives seeking to arrange a spouse while deciding what kind of life and relationship he truly wants.
Films like The Big Sick, and why
While You Were Sleeping
shares a heartfelt romantic-comedy structure, illness-related separation, and emotionally grounded humor
Bend It Like Beckham
shares cross-cultural romance, family tension, and witty contemporary relationship comedy
Guess Who
shares autobiographical feeling, interracial relationship conflict, and a balance of comedy with serious family drama
Enough Said
shares intimate romantic storytelling, family pressure, and bittersweet humor rooted in cultural identity
Movie Details
- Director
- Michael Showalter
- Release Date
- 2017-03-30
- Runtime
- 120 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (2709)
Cast
- Kumail Nanjiani
- Zoe Kazan
- Holly Hunter
- Ray Romano
- Anupam Kher
- Zenobia Shroff
- Adeel Akhtar
- Bo Burnham
- Aidy Bryant
- Kurt Braunohler
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Big Sick about?
- A budding Chicago comedian confronts love, family expectations, and a medical emergency that forces him to reconsider the identity he has inherited.
- What is The Big Sick like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Big Sick as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is The Big Sick violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in The Big Sick.
- What did critics think of The Big Sick?
- Critics broadly found the film funny, heartfelt, intelligent, and culturally fresh, praising its performances and revitalization of the romantic-comedy form.
- Which films are like The Big Sick?
- Films with a similar feel include While You Were Sleeping, Bend It Like Beckham, Guess Who, and Enough Said.
- How long is The Big Sick?
- The Big Sick runs 120 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Big Sick?
- In United States, The Big Sick streams on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
