(Click Poster to Purchase)
 |  | Get Showtimes... |
Review #429 of 365
Movie Review of The Namesake (2007) [PG-13] 122 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $12.75
Where Viewed: Landmark Esquire Theatre, Denver, CO
When 1st Seen: 19 March 2007
Time: 4:55 p.m.
Film's Official Website
DVD Release Date: 27 November 2007 (click date to purchase or pre-order)
Directed by: Mira Nair (Vanity Fair)
Screenplay by: Sooni Taraporevala (Mississippi Masala) based on the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri
Featured Cast (Where You Might Remember Him/Her From):
Irfan Khan (Sainikudu) • Tabu (Phir Hera Pheri) • Kal Penn (Van Wilder 2: The Rise of Taj) • Sahira Nair (Monsoon Wedding) • Zuleikha Robinson (Hidalgo) • Jacinda Barrett (School for Scoundrels)
Soundtrack: order the CD below
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word or less review of this film]
There hasn't been a film in a long time that so carefully charted the nearly non-navigable waters of an immigrant family's life which gains additional complexity as the children grow up part of two different worlds tied to the culture and custom of their parents while being more prominently immersed in that of their new homeland. Such is the story of The Namesake directed by the gifted Indian director, Mira Nair, from Sooni Taraporevala's screenplay adapted from Jhumpa Lahiri's heart-warming novel. Ashoke (Irfan Khan) Ganguli's life is turned upside down, literally and figuratively, by a fellow passenger who nags the youth to get out of India and explore the world just moments before their train would crash and Ashoke would be among the few survivors. Accepting this sign, he does just that and travels to the USA where he enrolls in university to earn his PhD and eventually stays to become a professor of engineering. The unmarried gentleman is fixed up by his and her parents with Ashima (Tabu) who agrees to wed him in an incredibly vibrant ceremony. Once back in NYC, she moves into his tiny apartment and promptly decides the USA is too cold and lonely a place in which for her to ever be willing to raise her children. Soon after, Gogol is born and then Sonia. The two children give her life purpose and meaning not to mention comfort and love. The story then focuses for the remainder on the duality of life of the children raised of Indian parents in a blazing culture of the 1980s USA. There is much to see and consider about this family and how they will survive the clash of cultures.
"The true star of the film…is Tabu in her wondrous performance as Ashima."
Much of the deeper meanings surround Gogol's name. His strange name is not Indian, it's given to him as his pet name by his father, as they await the maternal grandmother's choice on the real name, because it is his the name of his favorite Russian author. As Gogol grows up, he goes through a phase of wanting to be no one but Gogol and later anyone else. The identity tied up in a person's name and namesake is complicated. It spins out with the concerns of fitting in and being accepted. To shun the name, however, in his case, is not to shun his heritage as it is with so many immigrants. Rather, shunning this name is far worse for it signifies an entire new life for his father who had been reading the book just before the train crash that changed his life forever. The name and the author hold great significance despite their odd sound to both the Bengali's and USAer's ears. The importance of one's name so long entangled with one's identity and sense of self serves as the keystone of The Namesake—as it should. Yet, it is its connection to challenges of cultural confrontation and blending if not clash that stands out as the core subject of analysis here. Again, children raised of parents of one outside culture in a new nation with a very, very different culture yields complications that are difficult to understand. Back to Ashima's first impression of the USA as being a cold and lonely place, it seems in her life in India she was constantly surrounded by members of her family: aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. Such is definitely not the way of the modern USA where members of the same family are often scattered across a vast city if not five states. Building a social network has to be arranged and often paid for. It must seem so very odd to people who are used to such much more family-centered, socially robust lifestyle and culture. Yet, for the children, they grow up in it, they learn to assimilate into it, and it never seems 'foreign' to them. It would be so odd to raise such children and to be woefully unable to comprehend how they could turn out so differently than you did despite attempting to raise them the same way as you were raised. It might be the equivalent of rearing complete strangers. The poignant part of the picture pops up in Gogol's love life. He grows up seeking distance from his parents, the sort he sees or imagines his friends all have, dates and intends to marry a USAer named Maxine (Jacinda Barrett), and seemingly have a life of bliss. When tragedy strikes the Ganguli family, however, Gogol (now Nick) sees how Max's values and those of his own will be in constant conflict and how he has primarily deluded himself into thinking that none of his cultural heritage has transferred from his parents. He reflects upon a teenage summer in India with his family, made better only by a glorious trip to the Taj Mahal, but now viewed as a window into what it may truly mean to have a family. Could there be a better way than this cold and lonely life?
"The Namesake fosters the notion that so much more be accomplished…if we work to celebrate…diversity…in all its forms…in an often breathtaking fashion."
Mira Nair has opened another window on the world with The Namesake. The film presents a balanced look at these wonderfully important and sensitive topics with grace and customary charm. The true star of the film whether by good fortune or default is Tabu in her wondrous performance as Ashima. Partly ripped from the comfort of her neighborhood to travel halfway around the world to live in a foreign city with a basically foreign man without the traditional support structures and raise children in and amongst a world of differences and ideologies, Ashima emerges a woman of incredible strength, love, and beauty. Tabu truly embraces the maelstrom of emotions most definitely within the character as she confronts her life and makes it work for herself and her family. She falls in love with Ashoke. It doesn't have over night, but it happens. She adores her children despite the barriers they learn to build between themselves and their parents. Likewise, Irfan Khan presents Ashoke as a classic immigrant who has decided to make the best of both worlds, to have his sense of self in this new land sticking true to his values but with an open minded approach to that which is new and potentially beneficial. Both actors age more than 20 years in the film in a remarkably well-done fashion. Acting across the ages is a tremendously complex thing to do, especially if the job must be layered with changes in the acceptance or rebellion of a new culture. Both captured these elements to perfection. After so much praise for a spectacular picture, it's difficult to bring up the one element that stood out with certain incongruity, but it must be done. With all due respect, the casting of Kal Penn, whether for commercial or other reasons is unclear, but the casting of Kal Penn in what really is the central role of Gogol was an unfortunate choice. Too many see him and think Harold and Kumar or worse his horrendous misstep of a decision, 2006's disastrous Beerfest. Can an actor shed these roles and grow? Yes. This soon? Probably not. Worse, he too must age from 16ish to 26ish, and the 30-year oldish actor does not play 16ish very well. He does not have the Jason Priestly look where he can play 15 when he's 25. He looks like a 25-year old playing a 15-year old, and it doesn't work. Long hair and a pouty disposition is not enough. He never looks the part of the younger Gogol, and doesn't seem to fit the character until, by no surprise, he is supposed to be 25. It was a valiant risk to cast him. Certainly his skills as an actor go far beyond those required to play Van Wilder's side kick Taj Badalandabad, however the central fact remains—his character was far too important in this film to be played by someone who conjures up images of very, very dumb and pointless teen comedies, someone who has not honed the craft to be able to portray the complexities of a character who develops over a decade of time, or who must grapple with the cultural identity clash this character embodies. Even when he must face the truest tragedy of his life, his reaction fails to resonate completely. He turns from boyish lump to man on a mission, but his convictions toward the mission always seem a bit half-hearted. Because his character is of such utter importance to the fluency of the story and its subsequent translation, again with all due respect to the director and to Mr. Penn for bravely giving this a shot, still, the impact is somewhat devastating to the overall effect of the film. Had Mr. Penn found a way to make this work, had he the right look to play the 16-year old version of his character, had he really seemed to be invested more in the emotions behind his name and not just the physical surface of it, it might have been an Oscar-worthy performance. Unfortunately, this was not the case, and far from it.
The Namesake, therefore, as a film tapestry, has some incredible strands with frayed edges and a main thread that struggles to hold it together. There is a diminishing of the full picture, yet one can still enjoy and benefit from the rich patterns that remain. There is much to be learned about love and the value and importance of family. Indeed, there is much to gained in understanding of the terrible loss to the planet as efforts to homogenize the cultures of the planet marches onward. The Namesake certainly fosters the notion that so much more be accomplished by our species if we work to celebrate the diversity of our world in all its forms rather than conquering and converting all people to one way of thinking, one way of acting, one way of being in an often breathtaking fashion.
|
The Namesake, therefore, as a film tapestry, has some incredible strands with frayed edges and a main thread that struggles to hold it together. There is a diminishing of the full picture, yet one can still enjoy and benefit from the rich patterns that remain. There is much to be learned about love and the value and importance of family. Indeed, there is much to gained in understanding of the terrible loss to the planet as efforts to homogenize the cultures of the planet marches onward. The Namesake certainly fosters the notion that so much more be accomplished by our species if we work to celebrate the diversity of our world in all its forms rather than conquering and converting all people to one way of thinking, one way of acting, one way of being in an often breathtaking fashion.
Back to Top | W.I.P. Scale™ | Most Recently Reviewed Films | Films of 2005 | Films of 2006 | Films of 2007
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Other Projects Featuring The Namesake (2007)
Cast Members
Irfan Khan
• Tabu 0 • Kal PennSahira Nair
• Zuleikha Robinson • Jacinda BarrettDirector
Mira Nair
Screenwriter
Sooni Taraporevala
| Related Book | CD Soundtrack | DVD |
| The Book | VHS | Related Book |
The Namesake (2007) Review-lite [150-word cap]
Long has it been since a film deftly charted the tumultuous waters of an immigrant family's life as it gains complexity with children growing up part of two different worlds. The Namesake, directed by the gifted Indian director, Mira Nair, from Sooni Taraporevala's screenplay adapted from Jhumpa Lahiri's heart-warming novel, opens a window on this universe with a balanced examination of these wonderfully important and sensitive topics. Tabu, in her wondrous performance as Ashima, emerges the true star and light of the film playing the Indian mother arranged to marry and move half way around the globe to raise a family in an entirely foreign world. The risky casting of Kal Penn in the central role of the namesake Gogol caused the film's tapestry to fray a bit yet fails to quash its fostering notion that much more may be accomplished by our species if we work to celebrate diversity.
No comments:
Post a Comment