I’ve been a fan of Kamail Nanjiani since before Silicon Valley. Back when he was just a stand-up comedian, he hosted two awesome podcasts – The X-Files Files and The Indoor Kids with his wife Emily Gordon. Since that time Emily published a book, Kamail landed an ensemble show and a spot on the rebirth of his favorite series. Oh, and their life because the plot of an award-winning movie. 

The Big Sick tells the story of how Kamail and Emily met at a comedy show in which he was performing. After dating a while, Emily (portrayed by Zoe Kazan) discovers that Kamail hasn’t told his parents about her. Wishing Kamail to follow tradition of having an arranged marriage to a Muslim Pakistani girl, they have been attempting to set him up with girls in the area, leaving behind a box of photographs.

When Emily winds up in the hospital one night after having not spoken to each other for a period, Kamail becomes the one in charge of making the decision to put her in an induced coma. The film explores Kamail’s devotion to helping her despite everything she, their parents, or other people tell him about giving up on their relationship as she remains in a coma fighting Still’s disease.

While this may not be like other geeky or horror movies I often recommend, it is still worth a watch for both the humor and actors involved. Starring Ray Romano, Holly Hunter, Aidy Bryant, and Nanjiani as himself, there isn’t a moment in the the Big Sick’s heart wrenching love story that that won’t either cause you to shed a tear or brighten your day with a laugh.