I think that it can be safely said that pulling off a great, or even a good comedy takes a lot of talent and a lot of hard work because you not only have to appeal to a small base, but in order to make a successful film work, usually it has to be fairly accessible and you have to have strengths within the film to propel it along such as great comedic delivery by your actors as well as having a razor sharp script, or a least a script that knows how to both tell a good story and yet be very humorous in the meantime. There have been many great comedic films over the decades and some would probably fall into my own brand of comedy that I personally favour which would tend to be a bit drier, or have a least some kind of observational, or even neurotic, or self deprecating humour involved in it. Unfortunately a lot of the comedies today, or at least what is considered to be on everybody's radar, or considered "the next big thing" usually escapes me as today's sitcoms on television I can't stand and it leaves me missing the great comedic legends such as the television productions of Norman Lear in the 1970's such as All in the Family, Maude, Good Times and One Day at a Time. These were shows that knew how to tell a good story, were downright hilarious at times and also what I think was really fascinating was how those shows captured both the mood and events of the times that they were portraying. Such as political opinions, racial attitudes, poverty and the list goes on and on. I wish today's shows and movies too would learn, or take a page from these old shows and make a biting yet fascinating look at today's world and the events going on instead of just endless jokes involving profanity, scatological humour, or things involving, or around perversity. This new film, The Big Sick proves to be the new reigning champion in today's comedy film because it works so successfully on a number of different levels. It accomplishes the task of being a comedy because it is at times very funny and there were several laugh out loud moments during the film and also some small moments where I laughed inwardly and probably had a big smile on my face. The film kept the crude jokes and language to a minimum (yes, they are still there, but not thankfully the main goal of the movie) and instead it uses these very witty jokes alongside telling a story that when you come right down to it is a story of great depth and a truly insightful and yet honest look at modern relationships and just love in general. The film tells a good comedic story and has lots of laughs, but yet it also pulls off the tricky balancing act of adding drama and even some sadness into the mix with this comedy and yet it all feels so natural and like these events could be going on in our very own lives (probably with a few variables here, or there), but the film successfully allows us not just to laugh at these characters, but also allows us to empathize and feel their sadness, joy, grief and a whole gamut of emotions throughout the course of the film's running time. The film is based on a true story of it's main star Kumail Nanjiani and he also co-wrote the film with his wife, Emily V. Gordon and we cheer for these two during the course of the film and even if we have a sneaking suspicion of how it will all turn out, it still allows for plenty of moments of both laughs and sometimes coming close to tears as well. The Big Sick also commendably shows relationships and finally gets the message across to audiences that today people truly do take relationships too flippantly where there really sometimes does need to be some effort involved and when we as people engage in one night stands, or brief affairs, is that really love, or does it just end up hurting us and making us all the more vulnerable in the end? We as people need to evaluate our relationships and what we think about love and what it truly means to have a healthy and functioning relationship. As with anything worthwhile this can take work and a fair bit of effort, but I think most people can tell you that the end result is worth it. The acting by the main stars and supporting are amongst the best if not the best performances by an ensemble cast I have seen so far this year and the writing by Gordon and Nanjiani has depth, laughs, sadness and true heart to it that not only makes it a true winner as a comedy, but in a range of different categories and one of the most perspective and yet also effective looks on relationships and love to come out in awhile. Truly one of this year's best films.
Review of The Big Sick
