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| The Namesake | 
| Director: Mira Nair
Actors: Irfan Khan, Kal Penn, Jagannath Guha, Ruma Guha Thakurta, Tabu
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
Buy Used: $1.84
You Save: $18.14 (91%)
New (60) Collectible (2) from $6.21
Avg. Customer Rating:  82 reviews
Sales Rank: 2502
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), Hindi (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Running Time: 122 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: FOXD2245608D
UPC: 024543456087
EAN: 0024543456087
ASIN: B000U2U0E4
Theatrical Release Date: March 9, 2007
Release Date: November 27, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: 100% Guaranteed!! Former rental, Has rental case with stickers. Click on my User ID to check out my other items!! Money Back Guarantee if not satisfied!! All my items are IN STOCK, your order will never be backordered or cancelled!
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| Customer Reviews:
 kudos to kumar September 16, 2008
this is more of an immigrant's tale than indian-specific. thought it was pretty applicable to my life, with some glaring similarities. Particular kudos to the actress portraying the mother. And to Kal too. Who knew he had it in him (See Harold and Kumar; 1 & 2) Especially the opening scene of 2. Which I thought was awesome.
 A beautiful meditation on life, love, birth, and death -- what it means to be human in a changing & challenging world. September 14, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Spoilers, be forewarned.
The Namesake is a beautifully shot film that not only gets to the heart of the immigrant experience, but also tells a deeply moving tale about humanity -- about what it means to be human, vulnerable and dependent on both family and strangers in a changing and insecure world. There are brilliant acting performances in this film (the "parent" Indian actors Tabu and Irfan Khan especially). "White Castle's" Kal Penn does a fine job as the young son who at first refuses to understand his immigrant father's "uncool" ways then learns to respect and even admire his father's difficult and haunted past (we learn in the film that the father was the only survivor of a catastrophic train crash as a young man).
The film follows the lives of the parents as they move to America (with gorgeous, small touches by director Mira Nair that show the challenges of moving to a completely unknown country) and in its second half the film focuses on the son as he grows into maturity and suffers a devastating, unexpected heartbreak that helps (as he puts it) him become truly "free." In the mid-section of the film the family visits India for a summer; the children see and appreciate the rich heritage they had ignored to this point in their lives when they visit the Taj Mahal and ingest the astonishing sights and sounds of Kolkata (Calcutta). The film also boasts one of the best soundtracks of the year, which mixes gorgeous Indian tunes and Western music and seamlessly blends the songs with key images from the film. Highly recommended.
The Namesake... September 12, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I can't add anything that the other reviewers' haven't already said. If you take the movie to a 'personal' level, it shows you that you should never, never take your family for granted. As demonstrated in the movie, we may be here in one minute, then gone the next. We never know what fate has in store for us. May I suggest the following?
1. Call/Visit/Write/Email your Mom, Dad or anyone near and dear to you!
2. Repeat 1 until you've exhausted your list of dear ones!
The movie did indeed have an affect on me. It will affect you too!
Four stars!
A Lovely Story to Behold September 10, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This movie is heartbreakingly beautiful in all its moments. It tells the story of Gogol Ganguli, an American born of traditional Bengali parents who immigrated to the U.S. shortly after their arranged marriage in India.
The story of how he came to have the name he later loathes (and even later learns to appreciate). His struggle to find his way straddling both worlds, traditional and american. The gentle unwavering love and devotion from his parents not only for him but for each other. In a fit of mourning, he rejects his first love because she isn't Indian, but doesn't find what he hoped when he marries a woman who shares his traditional roots.
The scene in the car, with Gogol's father telling him about that life altering train ride that inspired his name, is just POWERFUL.
The raw unguarded pain of Gogol's mother standing in the cold front yard after she learns of the death of his father.
And the quiet peace with which the characters make their choices and live their lives is gorgeous to watch.
Beautiful Story, Delightful Movie September 4, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
So many movies today follow the predictable cookie-cutter mold, it's refreshing to see a movie like The Namesake that stands apart from the bland/dumb humor/little plot productions.
The Namesake explores the life of an immigrant family in the 1970's U.S. Ashoke and Ashima are a young Indian couple living in New York, adjusting to their new life, and walking the line between a traditional Indian lifestyle and their new American one. The characters deal with raising children in a new culture, sickness, death, love, betrayal, loneliness, etc. Although The Namesake has its joyful moments, I think its focus is on the struggles and the hard decisions that go into living in a foreign country; parents making the sacrifice of leaving their home for the sake of their children, and watching their children absorb the foreign culture and grow up into people they no longer understand.
The Namesake has it all - touching story, superb performances by the whole cast, beautiful cinematography.
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