Monday, March 19, 2007

Who Knew Kumar Could Be So Serious

Last week, I went to the premiere of "The Namesake" at the MFA with my Asian American Literature class. It ended up being sold out, so lucky for me that I had a ticket reserved way before hand. Go me!
"The Namesake" is all about family values and traditions. Gogol Ganguli (Kal Penn) is a typical American boy with a not so typical name. His classmates often make fun of him because he shares his name with an author who was pretty much insane, but also a genius. Of course there is a deeper meaning to his name, which his father gave to him. Eventually he wants to change his name, and does, going by Nick. However, once he finds out the real meaning and how important it is to his father, he wishes he never took it so for granted.
"The Namesake" has a great cast that consists of Kal Penn, Irfan Khan, Tabu and Zuleikha Robinson. Khan and Tabu have amazing chemistry on screen, as do Penn and Robinson. The cinematography and costume design were also very beautiful.
"The Namesake" reminds me a lot of "Bend It Like Beckham," another film about finding the balance between family acceptance and social acceptance. I can't give away too much of the plot for fear of ruining the movie for those who might see it, but it was definitely a great movie and the actors definitely make it. With their touching performances I felt so attached to them, crying when they were sad and laughing when things got culturally awkward. Definitely a movie worth seeing.

Grade: B+

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