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Visitors Review

from_christmas_past 2013-06-16 22:31:02

To each his own

lets face it. It is not an easy job to adapt a book into a movie, notespecially if the book spans over generations. Mira Nair faced anuphill task. Adding to her problems was the structure of the book.There is no clear ending, no dramatic incidents to forcefully lead onephase to the next. When you turn this piece into a movie, it is so easyfor people to come out and complain that nothing happened in the movie.Namesake does a commendable job in remaining faithful to the book. Theincidents (or the lack of thereof) are religiously recreated, and nomajor changes are made in the narrative order. But, the book is morethan just the story. It is the mood it creates that makes it sohaunting. Namesake the book scores the most in the voice of truism thatcommentates on the progress of the story. It is not surprising to findso few dialogues in the book. The reason a third person narrative isused is because the writer understands that each event has to have abackground, intimate detailing and deep analysis. And it is in theseimpersonal (to characters) statements, you find the beauty of Namesake.To me, the movie does not do more than just telling the story.effectively, it fails to recreate the mood of the book. You would stilllove it if you have read the book. You know the inspiration behind eachmove, and you are just happy to see pictures that were only in yourbrain come to life. Namesake the movie is like a good supplement. Itenhances the effect of its parent source (the book), but is uselesswithout the latter. As a stand-alone movie, Namesake fails because itjust does not explain much. I understand that it is not possible to dothat enough through cinema, after all, the story has to be told.Namesake is just a bad book to adapt. Its character asks for impossiblemovie adaptation.You may adore namesake is if you have read the brilliant book behind itor if appreciating lead performances in a movie is the sole purpose ofwatching. The movie is vividly filmed and visually top-notch. but ifyou don't read the book before watching the movie, you are not doingjustice to either.

derella-2 2013-06-16 05:00:49

Mostly disappointed

I loved Jhumpa Lahiri's novel The Namesake, even more than her Pulitzerprize winning work The Interpreter of Maladies. Namesake is in my top 5favorite books of all time.But, the movie did not come close to capturing the book. Yes, you getthe picture from the movie, but that picture is completely out offocus.None of the subtleties and complexities of the relationships betweencharacters were captured. The dialog was poor.Part of what I loved about Lahiri's novel is that in addition to Indianculture, it imparts some of the richness of American culture. I lovedthat it explored the sophistication of Maxine's family and theirconnection to their land in New Hampshire. That was completely absentfrom the movie. It also ticked me off that they changed the settingfrom Boston to New York. Boston is a special place, and it meanssomething in the novel. Jhumpa herself attended University in Boston.

David Ferguson 2013-06-14 09:03:31

I liked your shoes

Greetings again from the darkness. Director Mira Nair is so very adeptat capturing the emotions within Indian culture. Her stout resumeincludes "Monsoon Wedding", "Mississippi Masala" and "Salaam Bombay".Somehow "The Namesake" may be her best work yet. Certainly it is hermost detailed and intimate.The touching and very moving story revolves around an Indian couple wholive in NYC after marriage in India. As they raise their kids and cometo grips with the American way, the wisdom of both parents is inspiringto behold. Irfan Khan plays the dad, Ashoke, and the beautiful Tabuplays Ashima, the mother. Both performances are remarkable and texturedand subtle and provide the soul of the film.Most of the story involves their son, Gogol, played by Kal Penn in hisbest performance to date. Born and raised in the U.S., it takes awhilefor him to embrace his heritage and really appreciate his remarkableparents. Touching, sincere moments occur as life just happens tostrengthen the bonds within the family.Sadly, the film will probably not be seen by a wide American audience,but for those who make the effort, the reward is an excellent,intelligent film by a truly expert filmmaker.

2013-06-13 13:19:26

Excellent movie, but personally.....very depressing.

The Namesake was an interesting movie to say the least. I am giving it a rating of 5 stars due to the production, cultural aspects, and acting. On the other hand, the movie is truly depressing and I felt the plot was weak. Some may say this is too harsh, but this is the experience I had while watching it. The movie starts out with two men conversing on a train. The train wrecks and many of the people did not survive. When the accident occurred, one of the men, Ashoke, was reading a book by a particular author named Nikolai Gogol which later becomes the inspiration for his son's name. After the train wreck Ashoke moves to America.Later in the movie, Ashoke goes back home to India and meets a woman, Ashima, whom he then marries. They move from Calcutta to New York. At this point in the movie, it starts moving very quickly. It shows a sexual scene after the marriage and then she is at a maternity checkup having contractions. It shows a baby after it is born and the man at the hospital is asking what the baby's name is. There is a cultural conflict here because it is customary for the grandmother to name the baby, but she is in India and 85 years old so they say it will be awhile. The man at the hospital says they must choose now, so Ashoke chooses "Gogol." Later in the movie, Gogol goes by "Nick." Shortly thereafter, Ashima is holding a baby and Gogol is walking with Ashoke by the ocean. It only shows a few short scenes at this age, then fast-forwards 15-20 years. Kal Penn (from Harold & Kumar movies) plays the older Gogol and Sahira Nair plays the daughter, Sonia.This movie is culturally significant because it shows a lot of traditions in regard to marriage, customs of limited physical touch, and the importance of marrying and dating within their own Indian race. When Gogol dates a Caucasian woman, his parents do not approve and are not friendly when they meet her. They want him to date inside his own race. Having been born in America, Gogol does not see this as being important so there is a clash between cultures. Shortly after this, Ashima's father dies and everyone is upset. Then a few scenes later, Gogol's father dies and everyone is upset again. Shortly thereafter, Gogol is dating an Indian woman and they are married, but then she tells him she is having an affair....so of course that ends poorly as well. In my opinion, the movie really took a turn for the worse after people started dying. From a positive perspective, I will say that the culturally significant aspects of the film such as the customs, the cultural clashes, the diverse clothing and burial customs....are all interesting and accurate to my knowledge. My final verdict? The movie is overall depressing and I would not recommend it for entertainment value.

2013-06-08 19:05:29

It did it again!

This review is from: The Namesake (DVD) I think all the other reviewers did the narrations and criticisms you may be looking for.All I can say is that this is the second time I have seen this movie and the second time it has made me cry. Wow, pretty bad for a 47 year old man, no?Great acting. Great story.

2013-06-08 02:23:39

Very good, but starts to lag toward the end

This review is from: The Namesake (Amazon Instant Video) This is indeed an excellent movie. The only reason that I'm giving it 4 stars instead of 5 is because the movie starts to get slow toward the end. Nevertheless, it is a good indie film.

The_Matrix_Rocks 2013-06-07 06:30:39

For A Select Few Only

Mira Nair's latest attempt to popularise Indians in the West fails toachieve its objective. The film is not without its merits, but this iscertainly not her best achievement, and it falls somewhat short of both"Monsoon Wedding" and "Kama Sutra".The titular namesake refers to Gogol Ganguly, played by Kal Penn, whoseems to be to Indians today what Sidney Poitier was to Blacks in 60sand 70s Hollywood i.e. the guy who plays every role available for thatethnic group.But there is one important difference between Penn and Poitier (andit's not the letters that come after the P). It's that Poitier's actingskills and class in general are far superior. I couldn't help feelingthat Penn was punching above his weight, and that he needs to graduatepast teen comedies a little more slowly.But Penn is not the film's greatest impediment. Try as I might, Icouldn't narrow this film's protagonists down to less than 3 (namelyGogol, his mom and his dad). This device works well for epics and miniseries', but made this movie seem unwieldy if I were to be kind, andunfocused if I were to be realistic.The other problem is the unashamed "high-brow-ness" of choosing arelatively obscure literary reference for a movie destined for generalrelease. I'm the first one to speak out against dumbing things down,but even I think a back story related to the writings of Shakespeare(or even Dostoevsky for goodness sake!) would have made for a moreaccessible story.No doubt Mira and her friends are all congratulating themselves forbeing incredibly clever and well-read and being able to catch all thein jokes. And since succeeds so well on that front, maybe that was theultimate objective.

Roland E. Zwick 2013-06-06 19:04:02

moving look at the immigrant experience

Based on the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri, "The Namesake" is a moving andthoughtful tale of two generations of Bengalese living in the UnitedStates.The movie begins in India in 1977 with the arranged marriage betweenthe sheltered Ashima (Tabu) and a young college professor named Ashoke(Irrfan Khan) who lives and works in New York City. The film chroniclestheir early years as a couple, the births of their son and daughter,and the eventual maturing of those children into highly Americanizedyoung adults. The issue of arranged marriage - or at least theavoidance of a mixed marriage - inevitably comes to the fore as theyoung man, Gogol ("Harold and Kumar"'s Kal Penn), falls in love with abeautiful blonde artist he brings home to meet his parents.With tenderness and sensitivity, "The Namesake" illuminates a dilemmathat all immigrants must one day face: how to assimilate oneself intothe adopted culture while, at the same time, remaining faithful toone's roots. The movie astutely captures the tension that developsbetween parents and their offspring when first-generation youngstershave no affection for - or even interest in - the Old World customs.But this is more than just your typical multi-cultural generation-gapdrama; it is an intensely moving look at personal identity, at maritaland filial relationships, and at the deep and abiding bond that isfamily. For, in the end, Gogol learns that he must embrace both sidesof his heritage if he is to have any hope of discovering the person hetruly is.But personal growth is not limited solely to the younger generation,for the adults are forced to accept the fact that traditionalism comeswith its own limitations and drawbacks as well.The movie is bolstered by beautiful performances - most notably by Tabuand Khan as the two parents - and by lyrical and sensitive direction byMira Nair, most renowned in this country for "Salaam Bombay,""Mississippi Masala," and "Monsoon Wedding." With little fuss orfanfare, "The Namesake" manages to tell an epic story while remainingintimate in scope and specific in detail. The screenplay by SooniTaraporevala constantly shifts its point-of-view, so that differentcharacters become the "protagonist" at various points in the story. Theresult is a richly observed and fully rounded perspective on the eventsthat unfold."The Namesake" is a beautiful and heartfelt work overflowing withwisdom and universal appeal.

Thomas J. O'Connor 2013-05-29 17:48:25

What's In A Name? Everything

Having been to India myself, the opening minutes of "The Namesake"immediately struck an emotional cord within me. The familiar sights ofan over packed train journeying across the sprawling Indian countrysideevoked a time of searching. India is a land of great mystery and soul,even for those who call it home.On this particular train journey, an older man sitting across from astudent questions him about the book he reads. The elder man encouragesthis young student to see the world, not just read about it throughbooks. Then, almost instantaneously, tragedy strikes...thendarkness...and silence. As the lovely opening titles ebb and flowbefore us, with soothing music, a powerful sense of a great journeyabout to unfold washes over you. It is a rewarding journey, and a veryhuman one.Adapted from the bestselling novel of the same name, "The Namesake"effortlessly ushers us through the life cycle of a Bengali family. Therelationship between the spouses, Ashima and Ashoke, is at first alandscape as unfamiliar to them as is New York, where Ashima joins hernewly married husband after their arranged marriage in India. ThePulitzer Prize winning author of "The Namesake" Jhumpa Lahiri, hasfashioned a beautiful example of two people very much in love with oneanother who never fail to respect their individuality in their union.This is poignantly displayed in a scene where, Ashima, in an effort toplease her husband, has accidentally shrunk his sweaters in the dryer.She isolates herself in the bathroom, in tears at her husbandsfrustration. Ashoke is quick to recognize his shortcoming acknowledgingto her through the closed bathroom door that her intention was good,and that it was his fault for not telling her she did not need to dothe laundry. He also offers to make her some tea. She is surprised athow untraditional he is in his expectations of her.Two children follow and the focus soon settles on the eldest, Gogol, aname given him after his father's favorite author and one we learn hasextra special meaning as the film plays out. Gogol is a typical youth,struggling to find his own identity outside of the one fashioned forhim by his parents and the traditions they raised him with. We followhim from boyhood to manhood and experience the pain that comes withmoving forward and the doubt that comes from what we've ignored in theprocess. Yet even though our gaze follows Gogol, we are given abalanced experience of everyone's journey. Ashima is a striking exampleof a woman in touch with the cycles of life and surrendering to themeaningful nature of its many seasons. Ashoke is a silent pillar ofstrength and wisdom, loving his son despite of the distance Gogolprefers. But for as much distance as Gogol creates through his interestin his American girlfriend's family, he is pulled back to his roots andeventually succumbs, unaware, to the preferences of his familytradition, only to lose it. But as is true in life, we must lose it, tofind it."The Namesake" is a full circle tale about finding ones home in theworld, after many journeys away from our own back yard. It's aboutultimately coming to accept and being thankful for the longings of ourheart, and the many journeys it can take us on in life. - ThomasO'Connor

2013-05-28 23:52:51

Read the book first!

I read the book first and then watched the movie. The story is great, but the book contains so much that the movie left out. Throughout the movie, I kept having to explain to my husband what was happening based on what I remembered based on the book. I think it's still worth watching, just read the book first!

brocksilvey 2013-05-17 16:48:35

Admirable, But Suffers the Fate of Book to Screen Translations

"The Namesake" is an admirable film, and it offers an interestingglimpse into Indian culture, but it feels too much like what it is --an adaptation from a novel. I haven't even read the book version, buteven I could tell that the movie was racing to touch on all the majorplot points, and sacrificing along the way all the nuances andsubtleties that I have no doubt were in the written version.The film tells the story of the only son of an immigrant Indian couplewho grows up American and doesn't learn to appreciate his heritageuntil a momentous life event teaches him a valuable lesson. In thehands of Mira Nair, who has made some lovely films ("Monsoon Wedding"),it's a never less than sensitive and thoughtful movie, but by thefilm's end, I felt that everyone was racing through the plot in orderto squeeze everything in, as if they knew they were running out of timeand wanted to hit all the high notes. I also think the movie would havebenefited from a less linear approach to its narrative. It's brokeninto roughly two halves, one showing the immigrant experience of theparents and the other the upbringing of the son. But blending the twostories more fluidly together would have had a greater cinematicimpact, regardless of how it was told in the novel.One thing this movie definitely has in its favor, though, is thebeautiful Indian actress Tabu, who gives a wonderful performance asAshima, the mother who endures through hardship and anchors the film.She's the heart and soul of the movie, and imbues it with a tremendousamount of warmth.Grade: B

milkmaidgoddess 2013-05-17 05:17:28

Touching and lovely film about family and love.

When I saw that this movie was playing near me, I had to see it-havingrecently seen Water and being a fan of Mira Nair, I had to see it. Thismovie was wonderful!! The acting, the story the cinematography all makethis one of the best movies I have seen. I did not know what to expect,when I see a film based on a book, I usually try to read the book firstto see how well the story is translated to film. Well, having seen thefilm, reading the book will only bring back wonderful memories. As afan of Bollywood movies, many of the cast members looked very familiar,as did some of the American cast (after checking out the cast list andtheir filmography, now I realize why). Mira Nair manages to getwonderfully subtle performances from her cast, many who have workedwith her before. I surely hope that this movie is put forth for thisyears Oscar nominations as was Water. This is a must see for anyone whowants a wonderful evening of entertainment and insight into families ofall types.

bob 2013-05-15 05:51:32

I choked up several times and I am in my late 40s!

This movie moved me and choked me up so much I could not talk as I left the theater. The same was true of my wife. It was only after about 10 minutes of leaving the theater that we could say anything to one another. The experience for most persons of Indian origin who came here to the US for higher education in the 1980s and then remained here to work, raise a family, etc is captured extremely well in this movie. The acting was superb. I had heard of Tabu as a great performer, but was stunned with Irrfan Khan and Kal Penn's performance. Scenes of Kolkata brought back fond memories. What can I say... it was a great movie.

Nirmal T 2013-05-14 23:51:18

Nice Movie...but way after its time

The namesake was a good movie. Two hours seemed slightly more than twohours...more like 3 and 1/2 but in the end was technicallynear-perfect, good handling of the storyline and the characters and areasonably tight script. But that's about it. The characters aremightily clichéd. Everyone of them without exception. From theprogressive Bengali patriarch to the nouveau sexy Bengali girl in lovewith a French man whose only grouse in an otherwise good marriage isthat she fell into a cliché by marrying a Bengali. From the expatmother who has lives her life through her children to the Whitegirlfriend who can't see beyond herself. As a "Slice of Life" movie,one expects the said slice of life to be exceptional. It isn't. It isas easily your story as it is mine..and if we're going to go down thatpath, we should soon logically have 7 billion such movies. And anywaysthe soaps are there to fill in that space much more efficiently. Withthe ABCD theme having been done to death and Hyderabad Blues 2 havingreleased a good 3 years back... there is no point in the movie. Butthere is one redeeming point which has nothing to do with the movieitself. As a reasonably intelligent movie despite being obsolete, ifjuxtaposed with the Karan Johar/Yash Chopra type brain-dead NRImovies... it clubs them to death.

2013-04-28 18:24:28

Indian Cinema

This review is from: The Namesake (DVD) This is a peek into the dynamics of an arranged marriage and a son's relationship with his father and dual cultures.

2013-04-28 15:09:38

Beautiful look at a Bengali family's transition!

This movie by Mira Nair is a look at the lives of a Bengali family and their extended community of families in the United States. The Gangulis come to the US to better themselves and provide an opportunity for their children. The story is more centered around their only son Gogol, (Kal Penn) is so named after a writer which his father treasured (Russian writer Nikolai Gogol), although he does have a sister, Sonia, in the story also. This is an insightful look at the traditions and the culture of the Bengali people, but interestingly, the film goes a bit deeper than just allowing the viewer a glimpse into the culture of the people, it also shows how the senior Gangulis, struggle to hold on to their traditions as their children become influenced by the western culture seemingly, more so, than the traditions long held by the family. Gogol grows into a rebellious teen that seems to be bothered by his parents. He soon is dating a young lady, of non-Indian descent, that he abandons his family for; he is spending more and more time with her family and avoiding even phone calls from his own family. It is at his father's death that Gogol figures out that he and Maxine perhaps are a mismatch, when she does not understand his grief. It is here that Gogol reconnects with his cultural roots and you see the relationship of the Gangulis to the Hindu world from which they have come and are still immersed. There is an arranged marriage true to their tradition. Later, Gogol shaves his head when his father dies, also true to tradition. Also following tradition, there is a ceremony in the Ganguli home that is culturally driven. There is a return trip to India to throw Ashoke's ashes in the sacred Ganges River, which is a ritual act to ensure he gets into heaven. The music, colors and chanting all resonate within Hinduism. Beautifully done!!

2013-04-28 05:06:28

Holds true to the story of the novel

This review is from: The Namesake (Amazon Instant Video) This movie offers a wonderful depiction of the Indian Culture and what it means to be stuck being and American and an immigrant.

kdutta1 2013-04-27 13:59:19

Moving and beautifully filmed

I saw "The Namesake" at the 22nd October screening at the London FilmFestival. Mira Nair introduced the film, along with Nitin Sawhney, whowrote the score.I admit that I loved the book, and therefore have been looking forwardto this film for a while. As a second generation Bengali Brit who wasborn in India and went to university in the US, I know something aboutwhat it means to feel displaced, to be a stranger in a strange land,though I have never felt like an immigrant. I also have the Bengalidilemma of having two names. So the book has a lot of resonance for me.Fortunately the film does full justice to Jhumpa Lahiri's novel.Cramming a story spanning three decades into two hours without makingit feel rushed or contrived takes some doing, and Mira Nair paces itbeautifully. The cinematography, the editing (juxtaposing Calcutta andNew York), and even the colours of the opening credits are all spot on.The cast are by and large, superb. Kal Penn does really well as thecentral character, Gogol. Anyone who has seen him in Harold & Kumar andVan Wilder: Party Liaison may have had reservations about a comic actor(albeit talented) playing this part, but he portrays the character as aconfused, vulnerable, and multi-layered young man who ultimately learnsto become comfortable in his own skin.But perhaps the main reason why this story appeals to me to so much isthe similarity between the experiences of his parents Ashok and Ashimaand what I imagine it must have been like for my own parents when theycame to England. Both Irfan Khan and Tabu are excellent. They bring amix of loneliness, hope and pathos to their roles, people who cannotlet go of their past but are prepared to sacrifice everything for theirfuture. Their innate ordinariness is what makes their characters sosympathetic and believable.Much like Monsoon Wedding, this is a visual and lyrical film. It is anessay on home, and on going home, not the physical place, but the stateof mind.

2013-04-26 12:05:32

Loved the book and the movie....very reminiscent.....

I listened to the audio version narrated by Sarita Choudhury over a period of weeks while driving around and loved it. I remember vividly the times it brought me to tears or when I would sit in the parking lot of a grocery store mesmerized by the story. Today, I finally watched the movie with my daughter on DVD and both of us loved the movie. We weren't too embarrassed to cry and often just watched quietly with a lump in our throats. I think it means more to someone who can relate to that type of family background, who also came to this country as a student. I especially liked how Mira Nair was able to portray so well, the strong bond of affection between Ashok and Ashima. Having read the book, I could feel all the emotions Ashima was feeling....Tabu is just superb in this role. My only wish for the book was that Jhumpa Lahiri had developed the daughter's character a little more. I know how central a daughter's role is in an Indian family and it seemed like Sonia was always in the background. All in all, a top ten favorite.

WWF_Deadman_Undertaker 2013-04-25 19:10:23

Terrible movie

I watched this in anticipation of something great. I'm Indian and hopedthat this was something I could relate to. This movie simply left methinking, "what was the point of all that?". I don't understand whodecides that movies like this and Monsoon Wedding are good. The man atblockbuster said this is the best Indian movie out there. I wonderwhere he rents his Indian movies from.The plot of this movie built up on the awkwardness of a SOUTHern Indianfamily (I'm not from there and immediately noticed a huge difference intradition). I couldn't help, but laugh at the situations the husbandand wife got into. Possibly the only good thing about this movie wasthe revelation of how arranged marriages work afterwords ("who say youcan wash my cloth!" {newly wed} to "I never have courage to ask you,but why you marry me?" {after 18 years}).The movie skipped around a lot with absolutely no transition of timewhen various things occurred. Everything that happened in the moviedidn't show any distinct significance to the actual plot (ie. whenGogol goes on a jog) and the entire family showed a kind of tension I'mnot familiar with.The whole idea behind the movie was of narrow-mindedness, idealism andintegration into society. Every character (aside from Tabu's) wanted toassimilate into society and would do whatever it took to get there.Every character displayed resentment towards their respectivesituations and none of them really added to the story.Kal Penn could not take on the role of a dramatic character. When hefound out that the girl he married was having an affair, his reactionwas hardly believable. The fact that he found the book at the end,supposedly his anagnorisis, just showed that he found meaning to hisname. The entire family still lived in awkward tension and there was noresolution to anything.I'm not even sure if this review made sense. The entire movie wasconfusion and melodrama. Of course, it revealed the idea of the new ageversus the old age (parents conserved, children rebellious {when KalPenn smokes weed and then goes to see his possible future wife "Idetest American television"}). However, this movie did justice tonothing and served as a pompous idea for Americans trying to understandthe 'Indian way' (quite like Maxine).This movie did no justice to our culture. It had no fluidity and wasjust a nag to sit through. The ending didn't conclude anything. Thismovie was garbage.