Yup, you should go see The Namesake.
The book is one of my favorites. Years ago, when I first discovered it, I devoured it all at once by staying up all night. I was tired the next day, but also energized and moved by the words I had just read. There was such depth and soul to it. With every passing page, I felt more deeply tied to the characters. I identified with their struggles and their frailties.
The movie, The Namesake, is good. If you haven’t yet seen the movie, but have read the book, my advice is to not compare the two. The movie lacks the depth, character and nuance that makes the book stunning. But it’s still entertaining and quite moving. (thanks to my Blink 182 buddy Andy for inadvertently helping me discover that the movie finally opened in cincy!)
Go see it!
3/18/13 – I don’t think I ever watched The Namesake a 2nd time. While that might not be odd for most people, considering I’ve seen Braveheart more than two dozen times, it’s a bit surprising. Good stuff.
and in a way..u look like karl penn
I finally watched the movie. and twice at that. It had a lot of layers and was complex so it took me two views to really grasp it completely. This is really one of the best movies made about the Indian immigrant experience. Certainly a great deal more than a lot of Desi films have. Just the cinematography was great, like when Kal Penn's mother first arrives in America, that dismal white on grey and a seeming emptiness compared to the bustling streets of Calcutta. Also that laundromat scene where that vicious looking man throws the shirt he is wearing into the machine, that scene seemed to look through the eyes of someone freshly arrived in this country and the apprehension involved. The relationship with the white american girl was also not overblown and full of stereotypes, but did include some cultural conflict albeit subtely like when his girlfriend calls his parents by their first names and kisses the father on the cheek and the mother's reaction. Just a great movie. You've lauded the book, maybe I'll pick up a copy. Man, it really makes you think about your parents and all that they've done to provide a good life. Just like the statement, "we all came out of gogol's overcoat", our parents have given us everything.