The Namesake (2007)
84 %
Reviews Counted: 121 Fresh: 102 Rotten:19 Average Rating: 7.4/10
Consensus:
An ambitious exploration of the immigrant experience with a talented cast that serves the material well.
Runtime: 2 hrs 2 mins
Theatrical Release: Mar 9, 2007 Limited
Box Office: $13,494,515
Synopsis: Like her previous films VANITY FAIR, MONSOON WEDDING, and HBO's HYSTERICAL BLINDNESS, Mira Nair's THE NAMESAKE is a lush, beautiful film bursting with rich color and visual texture. Based on the bestselling book by Jhumpa Lahiri, the film follows two generations of the Ganguli family.... [More]
Genre: Dramas
Starring: Kal Penn, Jacinda Barrett, Irrfan Khan, Zuleikha Robinson, Tabu
Buy It On DVD
Reviews
Comment
It meandered. There was never a sense that something needed to happen for the conclusion to be reached. The last 30 minutes I was mildly curious but realized the film could end at any point, so it felt anti-climatic.
03/03/08
This movie is not bad, I just couldn't connect with it. The Namesake is poignant (I cried once) and spans many years with grace and great acting, but it may be beyond my ken to truly appreciate as it deserves.
02/16/08
What holds it together are the subtle loving performances by Tabu and Khan, both Bollywoood stars. They never overplay, never spell out what can be said in a glance or a shrug, communicate great passion very quietly.
12/07/07
Top Critic
Mira Nair's film is called The Namesake which immediately focuses our attention toward the value of names and naming (and that theme is explored occasionally within the film), but to slip even further down the rabbit hole, the more intriguing area of disc
12/06/07
Kal Penn, who got kooky for 'Harold and Kumer Go To White Castle,' shows his impressive serious side here as Gogol Ganguli, a guy who suspects that his given name may be a fatal turnoff with females.
11/25/07
A magnificent meditation on what it might mean for many immigrants to be American in the 21st Century.
11/24/07
The all too familiar tale of the upwardly mobile immigrants conflicted between tradition and modernity is played out for all it is worth.
11/12/07
This is a film made with obvious care and affection, both for the specifics of the story and the broader society it depicts.
09/27/07
Una película fresca, reveladora, emotiva, graciosa, encantadora, que se disfruta como un viaje o como un viejo libro que nos han dejado guardado para abrir, por primera vez, en el momento justo.
07/12/07
When The Namesake ends, one feels as though one has lived with the characters instead of just watching them.
05/01/07
Nair obviously cares deeply about these people and, through her sensitive storytelling, she persuades the audience to make an emotional investment in them as well.
04/27/07
It is a saga told in small pieces, a patchwork of short scenes that tumble after each other almost apologetically, as if they would love to linger a little longer, but there is too much to tell and only so much time in which to do it.
04/22/07
Top Critic
Nair may have bitten off more than she -- or anyone -- could chew with this sprawling narrative, but she's done as right by it as possible.
04/11/07
Whatever your background, the yearning of Nair's characters for a place in the world where they truly belong is a feeling that strikes deep in the heart.
04/10/07
Click to read the article
04/06/07
Related Forums
(2007)-Mira Nair's THE NAMESAKE leaves behind Bollywood & turns the Taj into an actor
by: REEL_REVIEWER 12/2/07
by: REEL_REVIEWER 12/2/07
(2007)-Mira Nair's THE NAMESAKE leaves behind Bollywood & turns the Taj into an actor
by: REEL_REVIEWER 12/2/07
by: REEL_REVIEWER 12/2/07
(2007)-Mira Nair's THE NAMESAKE leaves behind Bollywood & turns the Taj into an actor
by: REEL_REVIEWER 12/2/07
by: REEL_REVIEWER 12/2/07
(2007)-Mira Nair's THE NAMESAKE leaves behind Bollywood & turns the Taj into an actor
by: REEL_REVIEWER 12/2/07
by: REEL_REVIEWER 12/2/07
there are different versions of this movie
by: awdub 11/27/07
by: awdub 11/27/07
Pictures
News
RT on DVD: A Warm Slice of Waitress, A Side of Futurama, Hold the Lindsay Lohan Career Killer
posted by Jen Yamato November 27, 2007
This week, navigate the minefields of the rotten (Mr. Bean's Holiday, Hot Rod) and the even worse (Lindsay Lohan's...
posted by Jen Yamato November 27, 2007
This week, navigate the minefields of the rotten (Mr. Bean's Holiday, Hot Rod) and the even worse (Lindsay Lohan's...
Box Office Wrapup: New Films No Match For Scary Shia
posted by Gitesh Pandya April 22, 2007
In the battle of the single-word-titled thrillers, "Fracture" beat out "Vacancy" but neither...
posted by Gitesh Pandya April 22, 2007
In the battle of the single-word-titled thrillers, "Fracture" beat out "Vacancy" but neither...
Box Office Guru Wrapup: "300" Reigns Again as Box Office King
posted by Gitesh Pandya March 19, 2007
Three new competitors were no match this weekend for the mighty action epic "300," which easily defended...
posted by Gitesh Pandya March 19, 2007
Three new competitors were no match this weekend for the mighty action epic "300," which easily defended...
Box Office Guru Wrapup: 300 Unleashes Box Office Bloodbath
posted by Gitesh Pandya March 12, 2007
The mighty Spartans won a glorious victory at North American theaters as the bloody war epic "300" exploded...
posted by Gitesh Pandya March 12, 2007
The mighty Spartans won a glorious victory at North American theaters as the bloody war epic "300" exploded...
IGN RSS Feeds