The Namesake (B+ or 3/4 stars)
'The Namesake', a dramedy directed by Mira Nair, tells the story of the Ganguli family & their assimilation into American culture after a move from Calcutta to New York. The first half of the film is epic in nature; incredibly moving and well-acted. The second half feels a bit rushed and static. But the overall effect is powerful as a 'coming-of-age' story. In this film, Mira Nair is able to blend authentic drama with natural comedy in this family's life's happenings.
1975: Ashoke (Irfan Khan) & Ashima (Tabu) have relocated from India to America after a pre-arranged marriage ceremony. Because they barely know each other, an organic love is forged as they only know each other in this foreign land. They're relinquishing, trying to forget their old way of life so that they can absorb this new one. They don't love America. But they know the opportunities which this country has to offer their 2 children, particularly, Gogol (Kal Penn). Gogol is named after famed writer, Nikolay Gogol. His name takes on great significance as his life plays out (I won't divulge this pivotal plot device).
While the 1st half of the story focuses on Ashoke & Ashima's struggle to assimilate, the brunt of the film focuses on Gogol's struggle to find his identity in a society full of different heritages. He wants to fit-in but knows it's important to appreciate his roots, as well. Another obstacle for him is trying to decide if he loves a Caucasian girl, Maxine (Jacinda Barrett), enough to pursue marriage, or 'accept' an attractive marriage with a traditional Indian girl (Zuleikha Robinson).
Can this family ever get a grip of their own identities? Will they prosper? Can negative 'experiences' still breed a sense of self? This is a beautiful, heart wrenching, multicultural journey. It's a simple story where not much action occurs (or palpable climax). But it is the emotions and the theme(s) of cultural upheaval, distance, and the achieving of dreams, which makes this movie work. You'll savor the film hours & days later. Even when the Ganguli family were a world away from where they wanted to be, the 'chance' of a better life was always there; that kept them going.
The cinematography here is quite stellar. The subtle, emotionally gripping acting by Irfan Khan & Tabu is fantastic. Mira Nair shows us the family's 'best and worst' of India and America when needed (not proving that one is better than the other). She encompasses several genres, themes, nostalgia, and a homage to tradition incredibly well. There are 2 things which prevents this from being a perfect film, however ...
1) Kal Penn is solid & humorous in Gogol's teen years. But I find his acting in Gogol's adulthood to be a weak point in the 2nd half of the film. 2) The story becomes so expansive towards the end that we're suddenly thrown into quickly edited scenes with little exposition. Important themes, characters, & time frames fly by. I just felt a little trapped near the end because the 1st half of the film was so free-flowing & natural. Other than these 2 points, the film is definitely worth an admission ticket to your local theatre.
1975: Ashoke (Irfan Khan) & Ashima (Tabu) have relocated from India to America after a pre-arranged marriage ceremony. Because they barely know each other, an organic love is forged as they only know each other in this foreign land. They're relinquishing, trying to forget their old way of life so that they can absorb this new one. They don't love America. But they know the opportunities which this country has to offer their 2 children, particularly, Gogol (Kal Penn). Gogol is named after famed writer, Nikolay Gogol. His name takes on great significance as his life plays out (I won't divulge this pivotal plot device).
While the 1st half of the story focuses on Ashoke & Ashima's struggle to assimilate, the brunt of the film focuses on Gogol's struggle to find his identity in a society full of different heritages. He wants to fit-in but knows it's important to appreciate his roots, as well. Another obstacle for him is trying to decide if he loves a Caucasian girl, Maxine (Jacinda Barrett), enough to pursue marriage, or 'accept' an attractive marriage with a traditional Indian girl (Zuleikha Robinson).
Can this family ever get a grip of their own identities? Will they prosper? Can negative 'experiences' still breed a sense of self? This is a beautiful, heart wrenching, multicultural journey. It's a simple story where not much action occurs (or palpable climax). But it is the emotions and the theme(s) of cultural upheaval, distance, and the achieving of dreams, which makes this movie work. You'll savor the film hours & days later. Even when the Ganguli family were a world away from where they wanted to be, the 'chance' of a better life was always there; that kept them going.
The cinematography here is quite stellar. The subtle, emotionally gripping acting by Irfan Khan & Tabu is fantastic. Mira Nair shows us the family's 'best and worst' of India and America when needed (not proving that one is better than the other). She encompasses several genres, themes, nostalgia, and a homage to tradition incredibly well. There are 2 things which prevents this from being a perfect film, however ...
1) Kal Penn is solid & humorous in Gogol's teen years. But I find his acting in Gogol's adulthood to be a weak point in the 2nd half of the film. 2) The story becomes so expansive towards the end that we're suddenly thrown into quickly edited scenes with little exposition. Important themes, characters, & time frames fly by. I just felt a little trapped near the end because the 1st half of the film was so free-flowing & natural. Other than these 2 points, the film is definitely worth an admission ticket to your local theatre.