I’m just going to say it: This is the most genuine, heartfelt film that I have seen in years. It’s being billed as a “Romantic Comedy” but this film comes in a category all its own. From start to finish, I was mesmerized. I was so emotionally involved in the lives of these characters. I never wanted it to end. And that, those emotions of connection, is due largely to the genius writing of the film.

I once had the pleasure of meeting Kumail Nanjiani and Emily Gordon. You see, my day job is working at a hotel in Venice, California. From my small interaction with them, I could see that they were such a lovely couple and that there was a lot of love there (When you work in the guest/customer service industry long enough, you begin to pick up on these things about people from very little). I had been incredibly excited about meeting the both of them, as I was a fan of The Meltdown with Jonah and Kumail. So, when I had heard that they wrote a film together about how they met and, well, their whole story, I was thrilled. I could not wait to see it. Of course, I had to wait. We all did. But, man oh man, was it worth it.

I will get to the writing in a moment. I want to discuss the director, Michael Showalter, and the wonderful job he has done. If I ever meet that man, I would ask him how he gets such great performances from his actors because this film was filled with great performances, in particular, Ray Romano’s. Romano’s performance as Terry Gardner seemed so effortless. Pair him with Holly Hunter and you have an acting powerhouse on your hands.

Okay. The part I desperately want to discuss: the writing. It’s refreshing nowadays to come across a film where, while watching it, you know that the strength was the script. I feel like so many films today rely on other things, whether it’s star power or CGI to bring in a crowd that the focus is not really on the quality of the script. Decent scripts get made into films all the time. It feels rare to come across the great ones that have made it all the way. This is one of the great ones. My attention was grabbed right from the beginning of the film. Every character was relatable in some way. I do think that is largely due to the fact that this is, after all, a story based in truth. I felt connected to the main characters of Kumail and Emily. I was emotionally invested in their relationship. And I felt for the characters of Emily’s parents, as well as Kumail’s parents. It was all very real. It was all very genuine. I would have sat there forever. I wouldn’t care if the film was five hours long. I would have wished it were ten. That’s how good the writing is.

The Big Sick is released widely this upcoming Friday, July 14^th. I recommend that you reschedule your weekend to fit this film in. It is absolutely worth your money. It is absolutely worth your time. It will absolutely make you laugh. And it will absolutely make you cry. And you will love every second of it.