The Namesake
While he respects his immigrant parents (Irfan Khan and Tabu) and their decision to rear him in his United States birthplace, Gogol Ganguli (Kal Penn) is torn between Indian traditions and the modern Bostonian lifestyle. Jacinda Barrett and Zuleikha Robinson also star in director Mira Nair's thought-provoking coming-of-age drama, which explores first-generation Americans' delicate dance between culture and identity.
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MF 567542 osd 447573 zzy 368574 Morydd CP 1854773 PDeXistentialist AliceSw PH 485404 iyr 1598665 cerealslib ltd 171519 DP 1000167 WB 1814518 evt 2247 AW 1832780 ujp 1972517 JB 1258710 KB 623675 dnd 614750 SQ 70423 TeamAwesome dfa 1931500 MO 1397043 flb 356533 SP 1597839 MV 41419 JM 1606513 yiq 102690 nbk 578728 Praha goldiestereo zne 54661 elissa msa 1737224 CF 83447 Chris & Emily Gobeler igi 412668 yaq 958879 WT 1314299 cmr3 wyk 1857963 EP 120384 MD 1644805 MR 1175954 JN 815371 Wy-Fy FW 24160 rnd 667341 JK 1168551 VW 1968046 RS 1274980 Up to 50 people shown» Recommended for 2 people
» Reviewed by 5 people
It got off to a slow start and you wondered if it was going to be the generic feel bad story, but then it picks up towards the middle an you start to really care about the characters, very touching movie about family and not appreciating whats there, also the personal identity crisis that Gogol goes through is classic of many who want to be "American" but fail to realize being "American" is what you make of it, not who you are.- LH 969269
Very conflictive movie -- the endearing performances by Kal Penn, Irfan Khan and Tabu transmit true emotion throughout the film, but unfortunately the direction is so disjointed that at times you feel as if you're watching vignettes instead of a feature film. In "The Big Lebowski" (1998), when the protagonist loses track of the narrative, it's self-aware and hilarious. When it happens in a coming-of-age family film, it's frustrating. Nonetheless, the themes are universal, the observations of Indian culture are astute, and there is genuine heart in the making and presentation of this film. A fine movie.
- Topaz420 in CA
The Namesake is a beautifully filmed movie about self discovery and a family making a life in a foreign land. The movie's pacing is a little off, moving a little slow at the beginning, and then rushing through the end, but this flaw is relatively minor, especially in light of the excellent performances. Irfan Khan is particularly touching as Ashoke Ganguli, an Indian man who emigrates to the United States following a near-fatal train crash. Tabu is also wonderful as his wife, and Kal Penn stretches into drama much better than I thought he would. This isn't Mira Nair's best film, but it's pretty strong and well-worth watching.
- LB in Idaho
I loved this story and Kal Penn was wonderful. I got wrapped up in this story and felt sadness, joy, and surprise at the appropriate times. To me, that's the sign of a good movie.
- Southern Belle 1
The story follows a young Indian couple as they marry, emmigrate to the US, and raise a family. They must adjust to a new culture. As their children get older, they too must deal with their own cultural conflicts. This is a touching drama, but it is nothing new and certainly not the best of it's genre.
- GS Chicago