The Namesake

From the desk of The Movie Snob

The Namesake (C+). I think the local critic gave this movie a significantly higher grade than I am willing to give it. It is the story of the Ganguli family, of India and America. After surviving a horrific train wreck in India in the 1970's, young Ashoke Ganguli gets an arranged bride, the lovely Ashima, and they emigrate to America. They have a boy they name Gogol and a girl they name Sonia. Then the movie fast-forwards about 20 years and focuses more on Gogol's efforts to reconcile his Indian heritage with his American upbringing. It's not a bad movie, but it's kind of shapeless and unpredictable -- rather like life, I suppose.