Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
The Big Sick is an exceptional film. Penned by Kumail Nanjiani and his wife Emily V. Gordon, this offbeat indie dramedy is an absorbing emotional cocktail of humanity that’s both affecting and laugh-out-loud funny. Based on a true story, the movie follows an unusual love story between an interracial couple — played by Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan, aka the perfect rom-com duo — whose burgeoning relationship is fractured by their cultural differences before Kazan’s Emily is beset with a mysterious illness.
Currently boasting a 97% score on Rotten Tomatoes and an immaculate 100% me telling everyone to go see it after some poor sucker invites me to a dinner party rating, there’s no shortage of superlatives when discussing this critically-acclaimed charmer. But one of the many standout performances in The Big Sick is Ray Romano’s portrayal of Emily’s dad Terry, which is just another in a growing list of tremendous dramatic accomplishments for the veteran sitcom star.
Yes, Ray Romano is hilarious. The stand-up comedy veteran mastered the art of mining humor from “isn’t my family crazy?” sitcom shenanigans in Everybody Loves Raymond. But much like Paul Reiser (Reiser-ssance!), John Lithgow, and various other sitcom stars of the ’90s, Romano concealed a stealthy aptitude for drama that the actor has unleashed since Raymond bid adieu to the cozy confines of situation comedy back in 2005. From the TNT dramedy Men of a Certain Age (which Romano co-created) to his kaleidoscopic portrayal of Hank Rizzoli on Parenthood, the actor has consistently demonstrated that he can excel in dramatic roles.
NBC’s emotional tour de force known as Parenthood was littered with outstanding theatrical performances, but Romano’s Hank was a highlight due to the way the actor outwardly conveyed an inner complexity to a character in the midst of discovering he has Asperger’s. It’s not easy to connect with an audience when you’re playing a curmudgeon who has difficulty relating to people, but Romano somehow transforms prickly into charming with ease and grace.
Romano has an innate ability to find humor in the smallest of moments. In The Big Sick, he imbues the character of Terry with a relatable awkwardness that adds an important sprinkle of levity to many a dour moment. His prolific comedy background has taught Romano the delicate tightrope act of infusing somber roles with humor without undercutting the emotional gravitas of the scene. I’ve always enjoyed Ray Romano’s comedy, but I’m becoming increasingly obsessed with his dramatic chops.
“Sometimes you want to just see a story about human connection and relationships,” Roman recently told ABC News about The Big Sick. “The message, without trying to have a message, is how we’re all the same and how love transcends all. And it’s very funny.”
“Human connection” and “very funny” is the perfect summation of Romano’s dramatic second act. Up next, the actor stars in the Epix comedy Get Shorty and will portray a teamster lawyer with ties to the mob in Netflix’s Martin Scorsese-directed The Irishman, which is expected to premiere on Netflix in 2018.
By that time, who knows? We could very well be talking about Oscar-winner Ray Romano.
The Big Sick is now playing in theaters.
