hyped garbage

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

As a daughter of two immigrant Indian parents, I could perfectly identify myself with the main character: the inner struggles during high school to fit in the Western world while realizing you cannot change your roots and culture. This movie was a huge eye opener to me, and many others who grow up in two different cultures and the most beautiful part is the realization that there is no superior culture. One must accept and find out what matters most and only then one can be truly free and happy.

This is family "coming to the US" story spanning two generations; the 1st coming from what was once considered an "exotic" locale (i.e. India). Unfortunately, in focusing on the lives of both the father's generation AND the son's, the film runs way too long, with scenes that really don't add much to the plot line; an example being the family trip to India...which is superfluous since we've already seen it as a backdrop in the first part of the movie. While the film does have a couple of excellent performances (Zuleikha Robinson proves again that she is as sultry as she is versatile), overall it is very slow moving and self-indulgent. Like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" it uses (see: overdoes) the kitsch/formula of a culture that's not quite like the rest of what middle-America may be used to over and over (i.e. "we're Indian/Greek/Italian/Rastafarian/Scientologist...so we have to do things this way") but in the end succeeds in showing us just how much we really are alike.

The Namesake is about a Hindu couple who are newly weds that move to the US to start their own family. It goes through their lives and focuses mainly on their son named Gogol and how he has to come to terms with being a Hindu living in America. After finishing college, he finds a job as an architect and is portrayed to have adapted to American life. He gets the bad news that his father passed away and returns back to his suburban home where they host a ritual and where he actually realizes that being Hindu might be more important than his American life. From that point on he breaks up with his girlfriend and travels back to India to have the final ceremony of scattering his father's ashes into the sea. He later on finds another love interest, an old friend who is also a Hindu and proceeds to have a traditional Hindu wedding in New York. Sadly though after a few months he finds out that his newly wedded wife, Moushumi, had been cheating on him and they soon get a divorce. Gogol returns back to his house in the suburbs where his mother currently lives and tells her what has happened and from that point on they both decide to find peace. Gogol goes around India learning more about his Hindu heritage and his mother also returns to India to practice her singing again. While watching this movie i enjoyed it thoroughly not only because it was touching but also it was very natural in the sense that everything that happened in this movie is very realistic in which it could happen in everyday life. I enjoyed the fact that even though there was a problem between the two main characters, Gogol was able to find peace in the end. Not only that but the rest of his family was able to find peace and live out their lives the way they wanted to. I also enjoyed this book because it gave me an insight to Hindu traditions and how a traditional Hindu family/person adapts to American life. Also the decision of whether Gogol should've just ignored his Hindu heritage was another really touching moment during the movie. I recommend this movie to those who like movies that will touch their hearts, and those who enjoy learning about other people's cultures.

I liked the Namesake. It doesn't have groundbreaking story lines or exceedingly deep characters. It's strength lies in it's more or less simple and straightforward storytelling and love-story of a Bengali couple's migration, growth, and life in the States from India. Particularly I liked the first hour or so of the cultural coupling and move. Irrfan Khan particularly did a great job as a grounded person and father and husband whose attitude toward life was particularly compelling (SPOILER) after his brush with death. The movie moves back and forth between India and families. Kal Penn's character goes through an interesting progression and seems to grow. Although Golgol seems to more or less disregard his parents. Some of the relationships especially with 1st girlfriend seem a bit far-fetched and underwritten. Anyway, The Namesake was a good movie worth a viewing.