Review of The Namesake (2006) by Stephanie V — 20 Sep 2008

The Namesake is a movie that tells a story about a Bengali family that emigrated from India to New York to experience a great journey with their two children. Gogel, which is the only son, throughout the movie seems to be caught between two cultures. He wants to be accepted by the American people since he has grown up American. Although he loves his parents he is embarrassed by some of his culture and especially his name Gogel. The name Gogel was given to him by his father, which signified an event that happened in his early life. Gogel eventually meets an American girl he falls in love with, but when his father passes. He realizes he should have been there, more, for his family. He becomes more religious to honor his father and things fizzle with his girl friend. He eventually marries a Bengali girl that cheats on him, but throughout all of his hardship he feels free. He finds a book that his father had given him for his high school graduation and starts to read it as he is older and actually starts to understand the life lessons his father would speak about when Gogel was a child.

This movie relates to world religions because you get to see how this Bengali family lives. You also get to experience Gogel?s life and his struggles to fit in with his friends. I liked how this movie showed the marriage ceremonies. It gives you an inside look on their culture. Indian food is also shown in the movie and you get a sneak peak on certain foods that they like to prepare.

I thought this movie was great. At parts, it was a tear jerker, but I think it sends a good message to people saying that family is important. No matter what religion you are. You should be proud of who you are, where you came from, and how your parents raised you.