The Namesake (2007) is a movie of surprises for me. It is a story of two Indian immigrants, a young married couple (she quite a bit younger than he) making their way in America. We follow their early life, their success, their children and their children's lives.
What was nicely surprises was the superb performances of the two first generation actors, Irfan Khan and Tabu, both of Bollywood fame. Both are subtle and gentle and give so much in a word or a movement of a look...never wasting anything. They are what makes this movie work.
Another surprise is what does not work early on---and that is the high schooler son "Gogol," ostensibly the main character, as played by Kal Penn of Harold and Kumar fame. It just did not work...later, as he is older I could buy it, but as a rebellious high schooler...it was not at all believable.
Gogol is named after the author, his father favorite. But there is another, deeper significance to the name, that Gogol only finds out later. And as much as the movie tries to make him the center of the film...the heart of the movie resides in the parents and their relationship. With these two actors it really is a thing of beauty. If nothing else, see the movie just for this aspect.
The rest of the movie is good, if a tad predictable. the experiences of the children born in American vs. the parents who came to America is an archetypal one that is the essence of America itself, and is seen not only in Indian culture but Italian and Irish and African and Mexican and Chinese and every ethnic group that comes to this land. it is good to see that it is still portrayed so positively and with such hope.
Namesake does not always offer completely fresh ideas, but it does offer what if presents very well, and with such nice performances that you will keep some of these characters in your heart for some time.
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