WillSushyMedia This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Ketrivie It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Roman Sampson One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

Mobithailand This film is based on the first novel by a young Indian/American, Jhumpa Lahiri, who was already a Pulitzer Prize winner for her short story collection, "Interpreter of maladies".The novel is beautifully written, and is about the cultural issues that face Bengali immigrants from India when moving to live and work in the USA, and how their American-born children are inevitably more American than Indian. I was particularly fascinated to read about how the transplanted Bengali families adapted their lives, and fitted their Bengali customs and culture into an American setting; and how they sought out other Bengalis, and then gathered together to eat Bengali food and celebrate traditional Indian days, birthdays, weddings and other festivals.The film of the same name was directed by the noted Indian/American, Mira Nair, who had previously directed "Monsoon Wedding" (2001), "Kama Sutra: A Tale of Love" (1996), "Mississippi Masala" (1991), and the Oscar-nominated "Salaam Bombay!" (1988).It contains a number of interconnecting, poignant stories; of the father and mother who sacrifice their lives by moving to America to better themselves and to build a stable future for their children; of the children who grow up as Americans, but continue to be joined by an umbilical cord to India – the Land of their forefathers. The families make journeys back to India every few years, and the descriptions of these home visits back to their 'roots', for both old and new world family members makes for fascinating viewing.We are taken deep into the minds and hearts of two generations of Bengalis. We watch as they interact with each other as well as with the Americans around them, as they grow up and attend school, college and go to work. Inevitably, they fall in love and marry which creates yet more telling clashes of culture.Like the book, the film is a work of great skill and is faithful to the original story. A few things have been changed, or truncated, as the novel was such a towering saga and it would have been impossible to put it all on film unless it was converted into a 12-hour TV series. The nuances and clash of cultures are brilliantly conveyed and the first class cast made a highly credible job of bringing this absorbing story of two generations of a Bengali family in America – not forgetting the frenetic visits to chaotic Calcutta – to the big screen.If you can find this movie on a DVD or legal download, I would highly recommend that you give it 2 hours plus of your valuable time – you won't regret it.

Anurag Wankhede The NamesakeI saw this movie today. Didn't read the novel though but was able to connect I guess .It was a nice journey with Ashima,Ashoke,Gogol,Maxy,Ms Muzumdar,Mr Ghosh. Mira Nair again did a awesome job with the direction. The cinematography was commendable. The Howrah Railway station really reminds me of my commuting between Kharagpur and Kolkata. And the Howrah Bridge was revived from time to time, thus establishing the Indian connection. But the character that impressed me most is surely Ashima. She is perfect portrayal of Bengali woman, who is shy yet confident, childish yet mature. Tabu really did justice to Ashima. And Ashoke, his character was crafted very intricately. And then comes Gogol. His part, a teenage boy looking for way out and thus getting carried away and then his way back, Its Awesome.

aliaksar2000 The story of an immigrant couple and dilemma of the second generation immigrants are well portrayed in the film in general sense. What makes the movie good is its universal language. You can replace Indian immigrants with Chinese, Turks, Romanian, Arabs or others, you can replace the US with England, Australia or else. The story's main lines won't change. An eye-catching characteristics of the movie is its little warm and memorable moments. Especially during the first quarter of the movie, while two main characters, Ashima and Ashoke introduced. This is a plus for movies itself, but little bit arguable for the story. They are like warm touches to a sensitive issue. It makes you feel sympathy for the characters (and immigrants) and wants you to take a side in the issue, while the story never touches to the other side of the coin such as adaptation and cultural problems of immigrants or conservative structure of their lives. The story focuses on a most typical issue on immigrants dilemma in the living countries; Their names: their identities. Which gives a clue from which culture, from which religion you are coming from. Something that sometimes you are proud of and something that sometimes you wish /have to change. Self-criticism is missing in the movie. However, the movie doesn't claim that it is discussing the immigrant issue as a whole. Based on personal experience of an Indian immigrant in the States. So we can forgive that flaw. The movies have the audience's attention easily, flows smoothly. A big plus for the film is it's reaching to its target without any difficulty; the western societies, which continuously welcome ten thousands of immigrant from every corner of the world. So it gives us an extra idea to understand immigrants better, who are clamped, stuck and lost between two lives, two cultures. Sometimes the film repeats its gender's clichés (shrinking clothing washed by Ashima; Ashima's saying she had been missing India for years, then now she would miss The US, etc) but we also see some original approaches like Ashima's memorable quote "Do you want me say 'I love you' like Americans." As for the cinematic structure of the film, personally I don't think that transition in Gogol's personality/life looks very well real. It seems to be little bit rushed. This is not actor's fault anyway. Other than this, Kal Penn's performance is strong. I find her wife's performance little bit overacted. Although we have seen Alex's parents very briefly, we have a good idea about their life style. On the other side, Gogol's parents life could be digged little bit more. The movie's music, cinematography and general atmosphere don't take any risk and follow the film grammar closely. We don't see any cinematic essay, original tricks, surprising editing or else (that's why the movie losses 2 point in my opinion) but we see a smooth, easily-read, nicely done movie. (that's why the movie gets 8 points)Overall: 8 over 10.January 2009, Montreal

Roland E. Zwick Based on the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri, "The Namesake" is a moving and thoughtful tale of two generations of Bengalese living in the United States.The movie begins in India in 1977 with the arranged marriage between the sheltered Ashima (Tabu) and a young college professor named Ashoke (Irrfan Khan) who lives and works in New York City. The film chronicles their early years as a couple, the births of their son and daughter, and the eventual maturing of those children into highly Americanized young adults. The issue of arranged marriage - or at least the avoidance of a mixed marriage - inevitably comes to the fore as the young man, Gogol ("Harold and Kumar"'s Kal Penn), falls in love with a beautiful blonde artist he brings home to meet his parents.With tenderness and sensitivity, "The Namesake" illuminates a dilemma that all immigrants must one day face: how to assimilate oneself into the adopted culture while, at the same time, remaining faithful to one's roots. The movie astutely captures the tension that develops between parents and their offspring when first-generation youngsters have no affection for - or even interest in - the Old World customs.But this is more than just your typical multi-cultural generation-gap drama; it is an intensely moving look at personal identity, at marital and filial relationships, and at the deep and abiding bond that is family. For, in the end, Gogol learns that he must embrace both sides of his heritage if he is to have any hope of discovering the person he truly is.But personal growth is not limited solely to the younger generation, for the adults are forced to accept the fact that traditionalism comes with its own limitations and drawbacks as well.The movie is bolstered by beautiful performances - most notably by Tabu and Khan as the two parents - and by lyrical and sensitive direction by Mira Nair, most renowned in this country for "Salaam Bombay," "Mississippi Masala," and "Monsoon Wedding." With little fuss or fanfare, "The Namesake" manages to tell an epic story while remaining intimate in scope and specific in detail. The screenplay by Sooni Taraporevala constantly shifts its point-of-view, so that different characters become the "protagonist" at various points in the story. The result is a richly observed and fully rounded perspective on the events that unfold."The Namesake" is a beautiful and heartfelt work overflowing with wisdom and universal appeal.