Trailer releases are usually forgettable. You watch them, you see the explosions or the punchlines, and you move on with your life. But honestly, The Big Sick trailer 2017 launch felt like a genuine shift in how we talk about rom-coms. It wasn't just a teaser; it was a promise that the genre wasn't actually dead, just sleeping.
The movie, directed by Michael Showalter and written by the real-life couple Kumail Nanjiani and Emily V. Gordon, took Sundance by storm before Amazon Studios dropped that first look in early 2017. If you remember the vibe back then, the industry was obsessed with "gritty" reboots. Suddenly, here’s this two-minute clip about a Pakistani comedian and a graduate student dealing with a medically induced coma. It’s heavy. It’s hilarious. It’s messy.
Most trailers give away the whole plot. This one gave away the heart.
The Context Behind The Big Sick Trailer 2017
You’ve gotta understand the stakes for Kumail Nanjiani at that moment. Before this, he was mostly known as the deadpan Dinesh from Silicon Valley. He was a character actor, a "guy in a thing." Then this trailer drops, and we see him as a romantic lead. It changed everything.
The trailer opens with the meet-cute. Kumail is performing stand-up, Emily (played by Zoe Kazan) heckles him—sorta—and they end up back at his place. It looks like every other indie movie you’ve ever seen until the pivot happens. About sixty seconds in, the music shifts. Emily gets sick. She’s put into a coma.
That’s where the trailer actually starts to breathe. We get introduced to her parents, played by Ray Romano and Holly Hunter. If you haven't seen Holly Hunter’s performance in this, you’re missing out on one of the most fierce "mother bear" portrayals in modern cinema. The trailer highlights that tension perfectly: the awkward, forced intimacy of a guy stuck in a waiting room with the parents of the girl who just dumped him.
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Why the 2017 release date mattered
Timing is everything in Hollywood. In 2017, the cultural conversation around immigration and identity was peaking. While the movie isn't a political manifesto, The Big Sick trailer 2017 didn't shy away from Kumail’s family dynamics. We see the "awkward dinner" trope flipped on its head. His mother is trying to set him up with Pakistani women while his secret girlfriend is literally in a hospital bed. It felt urgent. It felt real.
People were hungry for authenticity. They still are.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Marketing
A lot of folks think the trailer was just a comedy reel. It wasn't. It was a masterclass in "tonal balancing." Most marketing teams struggle to sell a "dramedy" because they don't know whether to make you laugh or cry. They usually pick one and fail at the other.
With this trailer, the editors leaned into the discomfort. There’s a specific beat where Ray Romano’s character asks Kumail about his stance on 9/11. It’s a bold choice for a trailer. It’s uncomfortable. It’s funny because of how deeply inappropriate the timing is. That’s the magic of the Nanjiani-Gordon script. They find the humor in the darkest corners of a hospital waiting room.
The trailer also showcased the chemistry between Kumail and Zoe Kazan. It’s infectious. If that didn’t work, the whole movie would have collapsed. You have to care about them as a unit within the first thirty seconds so that when the coma happens, you actually feel the weight of it.
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The Viral Impact and Sundance Hype
When the trailer hit the internet, the "Sundance Darling" label was already attached. Amazon had paid a staggering $12 million for the rights. That’s a massive number for an indie rom-com. The trailer had to prove that the investment was worth it.
- Viewership numbers: Within the first few days, it racked up millions of views across YouTube and Facebook.
- Social Sentiment: People weren't just saying "this looks funny"; they were sharing personal stories about interracial dating and chronic illness.
- The "Judd Apatow" Factor: Having Apatow’s name as a producer on the trailer gave it instant "mainstream" credibility.
It worked. The film went on to earn over $56 million worldwide. For a movie that spent a huge chunk of its runtime in a hospital, that’s an incredible feat.
Why We Are Still Talking About It
Look, the 2017 cinematic landscape was crowded. We had Get Out, Lady Bird, and The Shape of Water. Yet, The Big Sick holds its own in that class. The trailer remains a reference point for film students and marketing pros because it captures "the hook" without being clickbaity.
It also launched Kumail Nanjiani into a different stratosphere. Without the success of this film—teased so effectively by that 2017 trailer—we might not have seen him in Marvel’s Eternals or leading his own limited series. It proved he could carry a narrative, not just provide the comic relief.
Realism over Gloss
The trailer looks... normal. The lighting isn't overly stylized. The actors look like people you’d meet at a dive bar in Chicago. This was a deliberate choice. In an era of polished, over-produced content, the raw, almost handheld feel of some of those scenes in the trailer signaled to the audience: "This is a true story."
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Because it was. Emily V. Gordon and Kumail Nanjiani actually lived this. The trailer didn't need to invent drama because the reality was dramatic enough.
Navigating the Legacy of The Big Sick
If you go back and watch The Big Sick trailer 2017 today, it feels like a time capsule. It represents a moment when streaming services (Amazon, specifically) were finally being taken seriously as major theatrical players. It wasn't "just a streaming movie." It was an Event.
The film eventually landed an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. That’s rare for a comedy. Usually, the Academy ignores anything that makes people laugh this hard. But the depth was undeniable.
Next Steps for Film Enthusiasts and Creators
If you're looking to understand why certain stories "break through" the noise, start by re-watching the original 2017 teaser. Pay attention to the sound design—how the music drops out during the serious moments.
- Analyze the "Pivot": Notice exactly what frame the trailer shifts from a standard comedy to a medical drama. It’s at the 0:58 mark.
- Study the Dialogue: Look at how many lines of dialogue are actually about the "plot" versus how many are about "character." Hint: It's mostly character.
- Read the Script: The screenplay is widely available online. Compare the scenes in the trailer to how they were originally written. It’s a lesson in economy.
- Watch the "Making Of" Features: Many of the anecdotes about the hospital scenes provide context that makes the trailer even more impressive.
The real takeaway here is that authenticity sells. You don't need a $200 million budget if you have a story that people can see themselves in. The Big Sick didn't just find an audience; it respected them. That’s why we’re still clicking on that trailer years later.