As a daughter of two immigrant Indian parents, I could perfectly identify myself with the main character: the inner struggles during high school to fit in the Western world while realizing you cannot change your roots and culture. This movie was a huge eye opener to me, and many others who grow up in two different cultures and the most beautiful part is the realization that there is no superior culture. One must accept and find out what matters most and only then one can be truly free and happy.

I read the "namesake" as part of a school project, then we watched the movie in class. I thought that the movie did a good job of portraying what was said in the book. I did think that there were a few things that were left out of the movie that could have made it a little better.There were a few things that the movie brought light to that made me think about what other peoples lives are like. People who weren't born in the US. It shows the parallels between the cultures of India and America.All in all I think that this is a good movie, but there were some things that weren't done that I think would have made the movie better.

This is family "coming to the US" story spanning two generations; the 1st coming from what was once considered an "exotic" locale (i.e. India). Unfortunately, in focusing on the lives of both the father's generation AND the son's, the film runs way too long, with scenes that really don't add much to the plot line; an example being the family trip to India...which is superfluous since we've already seen it as a backdrop in the first part of the movie. While the film does have a couple of excellent performances (Zuleikha Robinson proves again that she is as sultry as she is versatile), overall it is very slow moving and self-indulgent. Like "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" it uses (see: overdoes) the kitsch/formula of a culture that's not quite like the rest of what middle-America may be used to over and over (i.e. "we're Indian/Greek/Italian/Rastafarian/Scientologist...so we have to do things this way") but in the end succeeds in showing us just how much we really are alike.

Good movies are like wine-better as they age. I had enjoyed the movie so much on the first viewing (few salient scenes like Ashok making the call from the phone booth in an hospital corridor, was still fresh in the memory) I reviewed the movie again and relived Mira Nair's excellent story telling of Jhumpa Lahiri's book. This duo are few of the best talent that Non Resident Indian's (NRI's) have to offer. The story is binding like a good book. Both Irrfan Khan and Kal Penn stand out with their acting. There are better actresses than Tabu, who is not a Bengali-neither Irrfan Khan but he looks more like a Ganguly-who could have done a better job, but NRI directors neither see Indian films nor they are familiar with good talent or their views are skewed.) The screenplay is short and simple with sprinkling of Indian humor. Mira Nair, has a knack of narrating a story in short takes that has a lot of depth and at the same time keeps the story moving (like Ashima waving at Ashok or Ashok taking Gogol on the short pier, missing the camera or the time when Ashok gifts a book on Gogol's birthday) She doesn't dwell too much on a scene. Kal Penn, is one actor who really does a great justice to his part, where millions of teenagers can identify with-caught between cultures and identity. The ending is poignant. Two flaws by Nair-if she had skipped few scenes,this could have been a family movie instead of PG-13 and would fetched a wider audience. Two, the casting of Tabu and Moushami (the Robinson gal is not in the same caliber as the rest of the cast-she is fat and annoying). She could have easily casted Indian actresses. Still, All said and done, this is the best work of Mira Nair.