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The Namesake - Review
Length: 122 min Rated: PG-13 Distributor: Fox Searchlight Pictures Release Date: 2007-03-09 Starring: Kal Penn, Tabu, Irfan Khan, Jacinda Barrett, Zuleikha Robinson
Directed by Mira Nair
Produced by Lydia Dean Pilcher, Mira Nair
Written by Sooni Taraporevala (screenplay), Jhumpa Lahiri (novel)
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The Namesake, adapted by Sooni Taraporevala, beautifully captures the loneliness of the immigrant experience and how homesick a person can become after moving to another continent. When Ashima first arrives in the U.S., she feels like a square peg. A trip to the laundromat results in a closet full of shrunken clothes, a bowl of Rice Krispies is incomplete without peanuts and chili powder draped over it, and the concept of 24-hour gas is harrowing. She just can’t get settled, even as she realizes that her husband, a stranger at the time of their wedding, is really a wonderful guy and not half-bad company. The movie’s strongest moments are expressed through the intricacies of their relationship—a revealing conversation here, a comforting nuzzle there. As time ticks on, however, they really aren’t the main focus of the story. That honor goes to their son, Gogol (Kal Penn), a shaggy-haired, joint-smoking American teenager who resents his family for naming him after a friendless, suicidal Russian author. He’d rather be called Nick, a name that doesn’t get him bullied in school and looks better on the birthday cakes he shares with his rich yuppie girlfriend (Jacinda Barrett) at her family’s snazzy beach house. The reality of him wanting to change his name is, of course, indicative of him wanting to distance himself from his roots, something that doesn’t exactly make his parents feel like doing the cha cha. It’s hard to watch partially because you feel sorry for his mom (who wishes he’d stop addressing them with “hey guys”) and partially because you realize how heinously you treated your own parents during those trying adolescent years. Kal Penn is best known for his comedies (Harold and Kumar Go To White Castle, Van Wilder 2) but it’s hard to take him seriously as a dramatic actor in The Namesake—blame it on the fact that he acts an awful lot like Zach Braff. With his section of the story, we’re shown a rebellious, selfish kid who becomes a typical American and dismisses his family, while dating a few equally spoiled women. With his parents’ section, we’re shown something poignant, subtle and far less humdrum. In other words, their presence is missed whenever they drift off-screen. Though it's a flawed effort, The Namesake is worth seeing for its unflinching depiction of family hardships and stunning cinematography. Director Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding), turning in her most personal film to date, captures so many gorgeous shots of India that it plays like the country’s greatest tourism commercial. After seeing the Taj Mahal and then having the lens zoom onto the umpteenth icicle dangling from a New York tree, it’s hard not to empathize with Ashima and dream of a one-way ticket back.
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April 2nd, 2007 at 19:41
Above everything the Namesake is an universal story , beyond boundaries,and is a part of life of everyone who left their country for a career and settled abroad.The colour and society may be different , the appeal is universal. It is not a flawed effort , far beyond it , it is a masterpiece.
It's not dating with a spoilt child , it is the superfluos nature of the modern society that is reflected above traditional values , and is not all that different from any similar western background. It is cultural difference , the guilt .
The so called rich yuppie wanted to share the grief , like a true partner,but he rejected her out of his own guilt and that's because he couldn't come to terms with how he treated his dad and thought shouldn,t go beyond his society. The superficial second relation was bound to break, it was a wrong perception on either side.That is a fact in everyday life , we dont want what we get and want what we cant.
Kal penn tried hard , it's not easy and I think he represented the generation very well and realistically . His finding himself part is really good . well done.
Beyond that, it is the life's cycle of Ashima what is central to the story , and is a love story which is so simple ,yet universal , that it leaves an impact.