The Namesake (2006) Reviews
- Director(s):
- Mira Nair
Member Rating
My RatingAverage Ratings
15 out of 16 people found this review helpful The movie provided something for anyone who can relate to growing up in a family with traditional values regardless of ethnicity, race or nationality. The movie showed how family and one's identity ... Read More The movie provided something for anyone who can relate to growing up in a family with traditional values regardless of ethnicity, race or nationality. The movie showed how family and one's identity is important and can never be forgotten. Penn was believable for his first run at a serious movie. The only knock was that the movie had moments where the storyline dragged out. Maybe this was due to the movie being over two hours long, but overall it was a movie worth watching with family. Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
15 out of 16 people found this review helpful I just saw this movie yesterday and it was wonderful. I loved it. Everybody should watch this movie. This movie is for those people who like these thinking deep movies. Something to think about. ... Read More I just saw this movie yesterday and it was wonderful. I loved it. Everybody should watch this movie. This movie is for those people who like these thinking deep movies. Something to think about. I can relate to the main character for the fact that he has parents who are not from this country and are trying to raise children here in the US, kids who should be proud of their heritage and culture. Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
14 out of 17 people found this review helpful I rented this movie becuase i read a review that Kal Penn give good performance. I was pleased at how good this movie was. It was very nuanced. There were several thought-provoking themes ... Read More I rented this movie becuase i read a review that Kal Penn give good performance. I was pleased at how good this movie was. It was very nuanced. There were several thought-provoking themes throughout this movie:
1. A man who got a second lease on life and was very apprieciable of it.
2. A father who loved his children
3. The relationship between a father and his son
4. The son who, as he matured, did not want to accept his heritage (in this movie, it was Indian, but this could be applicable to any other - with which i identified)
5. The son, who, as an adult accepted and appreciated his heritage as he realized that it was a part of him.
6. The son, who learned to appreciate his father's love - only after his father was dead.
The drection was very well-done - understated and to he point. Toward the end, the director attempted to reconcile many of the themes - which made a very good conclusion,
i would highly recommend this movie. Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
8 out of 14 people found this review helpful A pretty good movie. The PLOT needed to be just a bit stronger( it was all about the indian guy not wanting to change his name of google?), but overall director Mira Nair did a great job. This is ... Read More A pretty good movie. The PLOT needed to be just a bit stronger( it was all about the indian guy not wanting to change his name of google?), but overall director Mira Nair did a great job. This is probably her best work to date. This movie is DEFINATELY WORTH WATCHING. The actress that playes googles(kal Penn's) wife is super Hot and can act her butt off. Hope to see more of her in the future on screen. If you really like this movie, youll goto the special features section and see the inner workings of this movie from director mira Nair's eyes and she is very INTELLIGENT tho a bit self absorbed, but thats a harvard grad for ya!.4 stars!! Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
11 out of 23 people found this review helpful I was soooo excited to see this movie, until I realized this wasn't the movie I was expecting to see. Maybe it was just me, but from the trailers I was expecting a full two hours of a "growing up ... Read More I was soooo excited to see this movie, until I realized this wasn't the movie I was expecting to see. Maybe it was just me, but from the trailers I was expecting a full two hours of a "growing up and finding yourself, the thrill of understanding your family heritage, respecting your roots, cherishing where your family is from and taking pride in who you are" kind of movie. I was expecting to watch a young man on a journey of self discovery. At at least that's what I was expecting from the trailers.
Well... that was maybe the final 15 minutes of the movie. To me it was essentially a VERY slow and drawn out film following this Indian couple as they are married and move to the U.S. and start a family. Sure, their kids are "americanized" and all that but I wasn't too interested in the whole immigrant family in the U.S. and how lonely it can be here, kind of movie.... like I said, maybe it's just me. My fault for not being at all familiar with the book beforehand. Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
6 out of 25 people found this review helpful The first half of this movie (up until Kal Penn shows up) was great. After that, the direction just fell apart. The movie lost its flow and seemed to be all over the place. In addition, Kal Penn ... Read More The first half of this movie (up until Kal Penn shows up) was great. After that, the direction just fell apart. The movie lost its flow and seemed to be all over the place. In addition, Kal Penn was just plain awful. Don't get me wrong. I loved him in his other roles (harold and kumar; dude, where's the party, and superman). However, he seemed so out of place in this movie and his acting was just horrible. Oh well, like I said... we really enjoyed the first half of the movie where the young couple were still discovering themselves and New York. Beautiful scenery couldn't save this movie either. Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No | ||
7 out of 27 people found this review helpful This movie moves painfully SLOWLY...and falls very short of breathtaking, as is the issue with many book adaptations. It jumps around too much, and I was falling asleep until someone died to wake me ... Read More This movie moves painfully SLOWLY...and falls very short of breathtaking, as is the issue with many book adaptations. It jumps around too much, and I was falling asleep until someone died to wake me up! The characters were NOT fully developed or explored, thus I never really fully emotionally connected with them. They failed at an attempt to cover too much in too short a time. The beginning DRAGS on when they could have developed the basis for the story twice as well in half the time if done correctly.
I am still baffled by all the positive reviews. Maybe people of a similar heritage are just excited to see their culture explored by people who look like them - which I totally comprehend. But an average movie is just an average movie. The previews led me to believe it would be SO much more... And as a lover of East Indian culture myself - I wanted more...
Sadly, I didn't get it... Close this Review WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL? Yes | No |
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