The Namesake
|
List Price: Our Price: $3.98 You Save: $11.00 (73%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.26 (click here) Category: DVD See more DVD releases |
|---|
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Movie Reviews of The Namesake
Movie Review: Cultural Diversities
Summary: 5 Stars
The Namesake is a beautiful and heartfelt story that gives insight into the lives affected by traditional cultural beliefs while being raised in another country who's liberal way of life is completely different. The movie begins with the Ashokie meeting his arranged bride to be, Ashima. They get married in the form of Bengali tradition and move to the United State from India. Ashima is new to the country, whereas Ashokie has lived in the states for three years prior to getting married.
Ashokie and Ashima immediately start a family. Gogol is their first born son, and Sonia is their daughter that is born approimately four years later. It is tradition for the grandmother to name her grandchild and sometimes this is not done until the child reaches the age of five or six in India. However, in the states, the child must have a documented name before it can leave the hospital. Ashokie decides on Gogol as a temporary name. As the child enters kindergarten his parents change his name to Nikhil. The problem with this is that young Gogol likes his name and does not want to change it and his parents agree to let him remain as Gogal.
Once Gogal is in high school and his studies become more broad, it is brought out to the class that an eccentric man having the same name was crazy, along with other negative characteristics. Some of the kids in Gogol's class begin to pick on him and associating him with the writer. Before Gogol enters college at Yale he decides he wants to change his name to the more proper Nikhil. Gogol's parents aren't fond of this change, but wants Gogol to be happy, and accepts his decision. They also want him to have a good time at college and to date, but puts the stipulation on him to remember to marry a Bengali girl.
Nikhil falls in love with an American girl and decides that he doesn't want what his parents want for him. There is a life altering moment for Nikhil. His father passes away. It is not until his father is gone that Nikhil (Gogol) puts some thought into what his father tried to instill in him. Nikhil breaks up with his girlfriend, Maxine, who truly loved him and wanted to be there for him. He changes his name back to Gogol, re-connects with a Bengali girl, and gets married.
The long and short of this marriage is that Gogol's wife is having an affair and leaves him. His mother wants to pursue her dream as a classical singer and wants Gogol to be happy. Gogol's sister marries a man she loves who is not Bengali and is accepted.
This movie pulls at the heart strings as it shows how difficult life can be for a person to be raised in a country that is liberal and does not share the same cultural belief's as a migrated family's religious beliefs. World religions are much the same way, in that being exposed to another way of life does not mean that it is tolerant of going against tradition. However, tradition is hard to follow when a person has been raised in a totally different cultural presence.
Movie Review: Excellent movie, but personally.....very depressing.
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Movie Review: compelling and thought-provoking......
Summary: 5 Stars
THE NAMESAKE, a beautiful film about the delicate ties and tensions between family, culture and identity, is beautifully brought to the screen by the great Indian director, Mira Nair. This story, adapted from a novel, has moments of warm and infectious humor, as well as intense scenes of cultural displacement and alienation. What is especially compelling is the running theme and great significance paid to the Indian custom of one's nickname and "good name" (AKA the name with which most of the world addresses you). This subject ties into other aspects of the struggle to assimilate and come to know one's self in a culture quite alien and unfamiliar, and is beautifully illustrated in the relationships between East and West, conveyed in the film.
Ashoke Ganguli (soulfully played by Irfan Khan) is a young electrical engineer, who returns home to India, to meet and be married to beautiful Ashima (Tabu). Together, they make their home in Queens, New York, which provides great culture shock for Ashima, who has never been away from India before, and must adjust to the cold climate and unlimited supply of gas powered heating, in their modest apartment. Soon, their family begins to grow, with the arrival of their son, Gogol (Kal Penn) and daughter, Sonia (Sahira Nair). "Gogol" is their son's nickname, while Nikhil is his, more formal, good name. Gogol sticks with his nickname, in spite of the merciless teasing he endures in school, and doesn't take on the name "Nikhil" or "Nick," until he is out of high school. This name change is a significant change for the young man, torn between his Westernized self identity, and the Indian identity of his parents. On the way, he searches for his true identity, independent of his parents and the life he knew before, in his relationship with his White girlfriend, Maxine (Jacinda Barrett), and then his Bengali girlfriend, Moushumi (Zuleikha Robinson).
Mira Nair does a fantastic job telling this complex and engaging story. I particularly took notice of (and loved) her attention to distinctive cinematography, in the scenes shot in the United States, versus India. While we see rich colors and flowing light, while the family is on holiday there for the summer, the sky and surroundings are grey and dismal once the Gangulis' have settled in Queens. The color distinctions were poetry for the eyes........Also, the acting was superb. Tabu, who is well-known in India as a respected Bollywood actress, is glowing, sensitive and beautiful here. The rest of the cast was equally strong and believable. Not to be missed!
Movie Review: Lovely film!
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a very touching film about a young woman who meets a young man by the arrangement of the parents. The story revolves anrond the couple and the life that they make for themselves and their children in America. Actor, Kal Penn, practically begged Mira Nair (director of Monsoon Wedding and Mississippi Masala) for the role he plays here. You may know him from Harold and Kumar go to White Castles or other silly comedies. Penn longed to trade in his goofy, crazy film persona for one more serious and dramatic. I'm happy to say he did a fine job here and know you can see him on televsion in the new doctor show called House. His persistance paid off.
Penn's charachter is named Gogol, after Russian novelist Nikolai Gogol. Gogol doesn't like being the novelist's namesake. The film moves back and forth from Calcutta to New York and contrasts the lives of the characters in much the same way. A couple from India moves to New York and brings their traditions with them only to be scorned and laughed at by their American born children who are New Yorkers to the core.
Kal Penn is correct when he states that this is an American film. This story could have been told from anyone's perspective. It could be an African family or an Irish family. The story is not really driven by nationality. The kids listen to rock and soul, smoke pot and don't really care about family customs. At some point later in the film, Gogol learns exactly why his father gave him this name. I won't spoil it for you here. Life brings changes and reactions to those changes are very different with each family member. The Namesake is definately a character driven film. Mira Nair has done a wonderful job directing here. In it one can sense the pain she felt in losing someone close to her because she uses that pain as a vehicle to drive the film, as it were. Still, the film is not as heavy handed as it could have been with another director. There is sadness but there is light heartedness which runs throughout.
The cinematography is lovely especially in India. Shots of the Taj Mahal are beautiful. The entire cast performs wonderfully. Kudos to all. Tabu plays Ashima Ganguli (the mother) with modesty and grace. Irfan Khan who plays Ashoke Ganguli (the father) uses very subtle facial expressions to convey feelings and thoughts. Any more than that would have been overkill.
Please enjoy this movie. Although there is some nudity, albeit brief, there are no sex scenes. This movie has been rated pg 13.
Movie Review: This movie is sentimental and touching...stands out !!!
Summary: 5 Stars
I watched this movie recently. It is based on the 'bestseller' novel written by Jhumpa Lahiri that I read a few years back ( Also called THE NAMESAKE). The storyline is very touching as it tries to explore the inner turmoils experienced by an immigrant indian family in US ....especially as they try to raise their children with their own set of indian traditions and run into conflicts between eastern and western mindset.
Ashima and Ashoke ( the Gangulis), move to the US very early in life. They are both very proud of their new country and its limitless opportunities but at heart they still remain attached to their 'bengali' roots and culture. I guess this is the loneliness of most 'first generation' immigrants - irrespective of whichever country you migrate from.
So the couple consciously try to raise their kids with their bengali traditions and values. This makes the kids perpetually unsure about their 'true' identity while they try to blend themselves within the american 'melting pot'. Should Gogol follow the typical lifestyle of the average american youth or should he continue following the indian traditions so dear and near to his loving family??? Gogol grapples with this conundrum throughout his early youth...
As a recent indian immigrant myself I can say that this conflict affects most of our families and it is difficult for both the parents and kids to understand one another. Eventually many of these ABCD kids grow up to become extremely confused or they become rebels (like in the movie Gogol's is embarrased by his odd-sounding name and blames his parents for this act).
I felt the director Mira Nair handled the entire subject with a lot of sensitivity and maturity . As Nair explores the psyche of the Gogol Ganguly ..one almost feels sorry for Gogol as he tries to grapple with his own identity vis-a-vis his unspoken yet deep love for his parents.
It was also amazing to see the depth in Nair's research during the the movie. For example her portrayal of the bengali traditions(arranged marriages, nick names, etc) and festive 'Kolkata' was both authentic and terrific.
I must say the principal actors Irfan, Tabu and Kal Penn played their roles beautifully. Irfan especially stood out as the Bengali Bhadralok(gentleman). Music composition was also very good. To sum up, I felt this Mira Nair film did full justice to the original novel written by Jhumpa Lahiri.