Just when we were doubting if the good romcom was becoming extinct, The Big Sick arrives and proves it is very much alive and thriving, but not only that, it can still be approached from fresh angles and with minimal overused conventions.

Based on star Kumail Nanjiani and his wife’s, co-writer Emily V. Gordon, real life romance, The Big Sick follows Kumail (Nanjiani) a stand-up Pakistani comic, trying to rise through the American comedy ranks. At one of his shows, he meets Emily (Zoe Kazan), a grad student, in a rather nice meet-cute, and the two embark on a romance complicated by Kumail’s muslim family’s views on ‘love-marriage’. Emily then suddenly falls ill and is put in a coma, and Kumail finds himself in a complicated place, which leads to him developing a relationship with her parents (Holly Hunt and Ray Romano – Mrs Incredible and Manny from Ice Age, respectively…you’ll thank me later).

What follows is not your conventional romcom, so don’t go in expecting that. This is no While You Were Sleeping either. By coming at it from the point of the culture clash, the film presents a refreshing newness. It not only provides a perspective rarely seen in cinema, much less in the romcom genre, but provides interesting new conflicts in the central relationship. It’s not just the coma that provides the obstacle.

The initial romance sparks up in a way that feels organic, but then does fall into a cheesy romcom which feels slightly forced (cue cutesy montage), but the film really picks up once Emily enters the hospital. The fact that Kumail’s love for Emily then begins to strengthen as he bonds with her parents and battles his own against attempted arranged marriages, makes it different.

It is grounded and avoids cheesiness. It also has a certain edge in joking about things that are perhaps slightly taboo, finding humour in all aspects of the film, and it is all executed brilliantly. There’s also heart and drama tied up in the romcom, an emotional thread that gives it the necessary weight that many lessers of its genre lack. It also doesn’t tie itself up in a perfect bow at the end, but leaves on a good note.

Whilst potentially a little long, the film is packed with great performances and well-observed wit. It also touches on issues not often present in this type of film, and shows that we need more perspectives and representation on the screen. There is life in the romcom yet.