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Created Dec 17, 2007 07:25PM PST • Edited Dec 17, 2007 07:25PM PST

1. Quality

2. Summary

   Great 4.0

   Ashima (Tabu) is a young Indian, Bengali classical singer. She lives in a very large, tight knit family. She knows that changes are coming though. It is the time in her life where she must be married. A couple of suitors seek her out. The one she says yes to though is Ashoke Ganguli (Khan). He was raised in the same area as her but 2 years ago he moved to New York. After a large and very festive Indian wedding, they move to Ashoke’s home in the United States. Ashima tries adjusting, but she ends up missing her family very much. Soon Ashoke and her begin to make a family of their own. She first has a son, Gogol (Penn). They named him after Ashoke’s favorite author, Nicholai Gogol. They planned to rename Gogol when he was four, but he insisted on keeping his name. A few years after Gogol was born, Ashima gave birth to a girl, Sonia (Nair).
   Ashoke and Ashima try to instill their children with Indian values and their way of life. This seems to be easier when they are younger, but as they reach their teen years they almost completely rebel this. Gogol and Sonia don’t have the connection to the old country that their parents do. They are Americans and that is the only lifestyle they see. Gogol ends up hating his name after finding out many negative things about the writer he was named after. He also resents it because it seems alien to him.

   The family ends up visiting India again while Gogol and Sonia are teens. They enjoy certain aspects such as seeing the Taj Mahal, but still find themselves wishing that they were back home. After they graduate from high school, they both end up distancing themselves from their parents. Sonia moves to California and Gogol who is now known by most as Nick, graduates from Yale and essentially lives with his girlfriend, Max (Barrett) and her parents. She is a non-Indian girl, which is not what his parents wish for him. It almost seems like he enjoys that fact though. The two are very close for quite some time. When tragedy occurs though it causes Gogol to re-examine his life. It takes this for him to get in tune with his Indian heritage. When Gogol does it almost takes over him and ends up ruining his relationship with Max. As he tries to find himself, a new relationship spurs with Moushimi. She is Indian-American as well and seems to have a lot in common with Gogol. Their eventual marriage becomes faulty as well though. In a way though this gives Gogol a chance to be free and on his own. His mother as well is feeling this way and takes it upon herself to make life a journey once again.

4. Acting

   Great 4.0

   Kal Penn gave a compelling performance as Gogol. There were so many ups and downs with him. He was insecure and ashamed. His reaction towards this was rebellion of his heritage and sometimes even towards his parents who represented this. When it came down to it though he had to just find what was right for him. I loved Penn in Harold and Kumar go to White Castle. He was hilarious and edgy yet was intelligent as well. This was completely different from that though. In The Namesake Penn has to go through a lot of steps to grow but is very expressive about what he is going through. Tabu was wonderful as well as Ashima. She showcased fears, loneliness, and attempting to keep her pride. Ashima was moved half way across the world on an arranged marriage. It was then up to her to try to keep the family together and to not forget where she came from. Irfan Khan portrayed Ashoke as a very sympathetic character. He did this in the same aspects that Tabu did, but it was more in an attempt for understanding more than anything else.

5. Male Stars Great 4.0

6. Female Stars Great 4.0

7. Female Costars Great 4.0

8. Male Costars Great 4.0

10. Film

    Great 4.0

    The direction of the film is excellant. It shows these characters who are trying to find and keep their identities. There is quite a bit of symbolism and deeper meaning behind everything. Ashima later claims that one of the reasons that she accepted Ashoke’s proposal was because of his shoes. There is a scene where she tries on the shows that were made in the U.S.A. This becomes a symbol of her journey to this new country. At the end when Gogol does the same with the shoes, it shows the journey he has come to already and his traveling to another place just as his mother did. Rather than taking in a new culture though, it is his time to really take in one that was there all along.

11. Direction Great 4.0

12. Play Great 4.0

13. Music Great 4.0

14. Visuals Great 4.0
15. Content

16. Edge

    Risqué 2.0

    The only thing at all edgy in the film are a few sex scenes with Kal Penn. They never show anything underneath the covers and more than anything the characters are just shown in bed rather than actually engaging in the activity to heavily.

17. Sex Titillating 2.0

18. Violence Fierce 2.0

19. Rudeness Salty 2.0

21. Reality

    Natural 1.0

    It is the adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri’s semi-autobiographical novel about her struggles coming to terms with the balance between being an American and being an Indian. Her knowdlege being an Indian is shown and represented through traditions. The American rebellion of other cultures is shown as the counterpart to this. The Namesake focuses on the Indian culture. It represents their daily life very well. The difficulties apply to all immigrants, but even more so first generation children born in America. Many of the same problems are likely to come up in their lives. It is really a universal theme though that anyone should be able to related to or acknowledge in some way. Aside from Native Americans, no one else is purely American. So we all have an outside culture. The Namesake is about not ignoring where you came from and finding a balance to find your true nature.

22. Circumstantial Natural 1.0

23. Biological Natural 1.0

24. Physical Natural 1.0