Review of The Namesake (2006) by Newt C — 23 Jul 2010

I wanted to see this but never did. Well, now I have, and I wish I hadn't waited. Mira Nair continues to blow me away with fantastic visual flair as well as pacing and performances. Obviously it's not *all* down to her, but I have yet to see something she's directed that didn't knock me over in some way.

This is one of those movies that kind of meander, which normally detracts from my enjoyment, but I was so invested in these characters and this story I almost regretted that it had to end. Of course it helps that one of the stars of the film is Tabu, whose beauty radiates through all the aging makeup they throw at her.

India, once again you give me reason to believe that the most gorgeous women in the world are born in your borders. Everyone is charming in this film, even when they're supposed to not be charming.

There's a wonderful quiet smile in Irfan Khan's performance in particular that feels familiar: we all know a quietly humorous person, someone who is constantly bemused by the world around them even if they present a taciturn facade.

And, of course, Kal Penn turns on the charm although I was pleasantly surprised to see him work through a pretty big range of emotions and character beats. His regrets over distancing himself from his family, his discomfort with their affections and later hungry embracing of them, it's all a lot more involving than I would have believed from him.

Though the story is slightly episodic (often a problem of adapting a novel), there's enough connective tissue through Ashima and Gogol's intertwined emotional journeys to make these episode feel like part of a greater whole as opposed to stops along an arbitrary road.

Highly recommend this, maybe even as a double-header with Monsoon Wedding.