As romantic comedies go, the drama in The Big Sick is high. That’s evident in the first trailer for the film, written by real-life married couple Kumail Nanjiani—who also stars—and Emily V. Gordon. And indeed, the pair faced similar hurdles to the ones that play out on screen in their actual relationship. First, there was Nanjiani‘s family’s desire to arrange a marriage for him with a Pakistani girl. Then came the infection that put Gordon in a coma. The fictionalized Emily is played here by Zoe Kazan, while Ray Romano and Holly Hunter co-star as her parents, who reluctantly allow Kumail into their lives as they worry about their daughter.
A.A. Dowd was a fan of the film out of Sundance. “The Big Sick is a date movie that becomes, essentially, about the strange business of connecting with your significant other’s parents—a relationship that’s usually treated as fodder for Ben Stiller pratfalls, not the smart, honest comedy Kumail and Emily have made from their life experiences,” he wrote.
The film opens in limited release June 23, and expands July 14.