The Big Balancing Act
Kumail Nanjiani, at the time of this true story, is an up-and-coming comedian in Chicago, just trying to make it to the big time. He and his fellow comedians catch wind of a recruiter rounding people up to headline the upcoming Montreal Showcase and set their eyes on joining him. When he falls for a girl that was at his show, unknown to his knowledge, his life is about to change.
Kumail comes from a family that’s deeply rooted in their Pakistani culture. One big value that they hold onto is arranged-marriage. The fact that the girl he loves, Emily, is anything but Pakistani, causes an internal struggle for Kumail. When something “Big” happens between the two, decisions have to be made, and lives are put on hold.
***Warning: Spoilers***
Cultural values is the big theme of the movie. Anyone with an immigrant background can relate in one way. Why would immigrants come to this new country if they just lived like how they did before? The mixture of cultures in America create a culture of it’s own, so now the big struggle is, how much of each should we adopt? The great thing about the movie is that they don’t take sides and make cases for each.
I did wonder why the movie was called what it was, but when that event that I mentioned happened, it was all clear. I did not know his story upon watching, and steered clear of trailers. It is really a fascinating story, no matter how much may or may not have been tweaked for the film. At first, I thought it was going to be a straightforward romantic comedy, but when the unexpected happens, as life can be, we are thrown for a ride of emotions.
One thing that I liked, were the actors, who are mostly stand-up comedians . They portrayed stand-up comedians that were in these dramatic situations. Emily’s parent’s, Ray Ramano and Holly Hunter, were fantastic. I haven’t seen Ramano outside of comedy work, and I’m not too familiar with Hunter outside of The Incredibles, but their evolving story could have been a movie on it’s own.
A few shortcomings for me were some of the plot devices. When Kumail is thrust into looking after Emily when she falls ill, there is a big decision that he makes; posing as her husband to begin surgery. I thought this would have brought up repercussions of some sort, but that was the last time that it was brought up. I also felt that the revelatory moment that Kumail remembers her ankle problem, leading to the solution, seemed a bit chanced-upon. I guess a small moment like going grocery shopping, is enough to save the day.
This is a great movie to have in theaters, especially with what’s currently happening to our country today. This should give insight to to all immigrant cultures and not just Nanjiani’s. Even with it’s shortcomings, it was still a well-told story. Watch it even if you don’t get to see it in theaters.
Recap
+ Great Story
+ Nice Insight into Immigrant Culture
+ No Forced Character Portrayals
- Some Weak Story Plots
[5/5]
Edited by Jovan Williams