Movie Reviews: The Big Sick; 47 Metres Down; Captain Underpants

Multi-cultural confusion provides much of the comedy in The Big Sick (15A), in which aspiring stand-up comedian Kumail (Kumail Nanjiani) falls for Emily (Zoe Kazan). What starts out as a light-hearted rom-com, however, suddenly veers into tragedy when Emily is struck down with a mysterious illness. Based on real-life events, with Kumail Nanjiani in charming form playing himself, The Big Sick is a delightfully unorthodox love story.

Emily falls ill at a time when both she and Kumail are shying away from commitment, with Kumail’s parents (Anupam Kher and Zenobia Shroff), immigrants from the old country, demanding that Kumail marry a girl of Pakistani heritage; meanwhile, Kumail finds himself persona non grata with Emily’s parents (Holly Hunter and Ray Romano) when he tries to visit the comatose Emily in the hospital.