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| The Namesake | 
 enlarge | Director: Mira Nair
Actors: Irfan Khan, Kal Penn, Jagannath Guha, Ruma Guha Thakurta, Tabu
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy Used: $1.99
You Save: $17.99 (90%)
New (50) Used (52) Collectible (1) from $1.99
Avg. Customer Rating:  83 reviews
Sales Rank: 1670
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), Hindi (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 122
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: 2245608
UPC: 024543456087
EAN: 0024543456087
ASIN: B000U2U0E4
Theatrical Release Date: March 9, 2007
Release Date: November 27, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Previously Viewed rental product. 100% GUARANTEED! May have stickers on case or disc. Fast shipping! Book, Video, Video Game & Music titles all in one location! Discover Your Entertainment at goHastings.
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| Customer Reviews:
 Story about finding one's own cultural identity August 11, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I loved writer Jhumpa Lahiri's book "Interpreter of Maladies". Althought I have not read "Namesake" , I knew I wanted to see the film. I imagined from her previous work colorful characters, clothes and surroundings and sure enough, I was not disappointed. We meet a young man of Indian descent who is named Gogol, after famous Russian writer. That name seems to be a torment in his life, until one day he decides to change it, americanize it and convert even his Indian name Nikhil to Nick. Born and raised in the America to his Indian parents, he has difficulty trying to identify with his Indian ancestry. So, his girlfriend is blond American girl from a higher social status and we see Nick slowly pulling away from his family. It is only thru his father's death that Nick realizes who he is, what heritage really means to his family and him personally. Inevitably, that means the end of his life that until that moment he has known. And then again, it is Nick's marriage to Bengali woman he has known since his childhood that creates new conflicts in his life. Are the pressures of one's heritage such that one has to deny his/her true feelings toward a person of a different heritage? How much is the modern life on the western hemisphere influenced new generations in the ways they want to live their lives? I absolutely loved film's tenderness and its slow rhytm. I felt drawn to the characters and curious about their inner life. But then the best part of all is the film's ending that simply states "To our parents who sacrificed everything to give us what we have". That statement alone transcends this story from the begining to the end regardless of what culture we come from or are born into.
 Why must I have the name of a lonely depressed suicidal writer that nobody knows? August 10, 2008
25 out of 25 found this review helpful
Another nice little movie by Mira Nair, based on a nice little novel, which was surprisingly successful in the US, about a Bengali immigrant family somewhere on the NE coast.
Everything is normal about the story: the marriage arranged by the parents, the small family life somewhere N of NY, the teaching career of the husband, an optical fibres scientist; the growth of the family: first a boy, then a girl; the death of parents at home in Calcutta; growing middle class wealth, kids growing up and alienating; mother with part time job in library and terribly lonely away from family and the real home. The new home never feels home. For the kids, the old home never feels home.
The title refers to a train accident that the father survived in India, before he went to the US and before he got married. He is reading the 'Overcoat' in a collected Gogol volume, when the crash happens. This leads later to the name Gogol for the baby boy, meant as a temporary one until the decision from Calcutta arrives, but it sticks. The boy first overrules his parents' wish to officialize Nikhil, as at that time he doesn't want to be Nicky, but keeps Gogol. Later, when fashions have changed, he has become the young architect called Nick, while the parents have switched to calling him Gogol rather than Nikhil.
Nothing dramatic outside the ordinary lives of immigrant families. A very nice movie, as usual from this director.
By the way, when Nabokov had immigrated to the US, one of his first English books was a monography on Gogol, not quite a biography. Must read it again and review it.
Out of this World Exemplary!!!! August 5, 2008
I was really impressed with Kal Penn's performance and in addition, the story line and the recurring theme of the picture. Well Done to the author and I'm looking forward to buying this book.
A beautiful story July 31, 2008
Namesake is a wonderful tale about starting a new section of your life in a different country and how with each new generation the culture of the family can change. It shows the importance of family.
Absorbing July 29, 2008
A Simple yet absorbing tale about indian immigrants adjusting to the american culture while raising a family. Kal Penn shines as the second generation american kid who tries to cope with his odd name. A name conferred upon him by his father because it belonged to his favorite author. It reveals an interesting observation of cross-culture dating and the varied reaction between the observers. Truly an engaging story.
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