7. The Big Sick (2017)

"So...to fully know I love someone, I have to cheat on them?" - Kumail
"Out loud, it sounds stupid. Eh, it's... yeah, that's terrible advice." - Terry

In the 2010s the rom-com was largely a dead art form. Sure it still exists in some limited capacities, but after the Apatow films that dominated the late 2000s and early 2010s, the rom-com well was not an inspiring place to go. That is, until Kumail Nanjiani, co-star of Silicon Valley, and his wife Emily V. Gordon penned a screenplay about the remarkable story of how they met.

Revealing too many details would ruin the fun of experiencing the film for the first time, but the story is essentially about Kumail (Nanjiani playing an exaggerated version of himself) and Emily (Zoe Kazan), meeting, dating, and falling for each other, all while Kumail's traditional Pakistani family tries to set him up with a girl within his race.

What bolsters the film up is Nanjiani's witty presence, a sharp script that observes relationships and what makes them function, and plenty of poignant, emotional moments. I'm a big fan of Nanjiani, from his early work in online skits to his wonderful supporting role on Silicon Valley, to his Academy Award-nominated screenplay, co-authored with his wife. Not to mention the direction of Michael Showalter, and fantastic supporting performances by Ray Romano and Holly Hunter that round out the emotional landscape of this film. It's really one of the best times I had at the movies this year; it made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me reflect on my own relationship and appreciate, more then ever, what I have.



4th Worst: Serenity (2019)

Serenity came out of nowhere and quickly became film Twitter's most beloved film of January 2019. It's a film you really must experience to fully appreciate the weird twists and turns the plot takes. Starring A-listers like Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Diane Lane, and Jason Clarke, the film concerns a fishing boat captain chasing a giant Tuna named Justice, which is one of many things that will make sense and will be baffling by film's end. His old flame (Hathaway) finds him and wants to recruit him to murder her current husband (Clarke). I'm not sure what drew all these actors to this terrible script, but suffice to say it contains a twist I dare not spoil and you should really just experience for yourself (it's currently available on Amazon Prime as of the publishing of this post). It's an A-plus experience of an F grade flick.