The Namesake (2007)

Spanning from 1977 to the present, through one and a half generations of a transplanted Indian family before finally settling down on the story of a son's quest to know his heritage, The Namesake is an interesting and touching look at cross-cultural, and cross-generational lines that probably should have stayed a novel. While everyone in the film does a great job with their respective roles, the total scope of what's being depicted is simply too big to fit on screen. Add to that some wildly inconsistent pacing that on two occasions follows tragedy with French techno and gangsta rap, and parts of the film just feel like a missed opportunity. Even so, the many character journeys are interwoven beautifully and told with a teacher's hand for a people toward whom the audience may know little about. It makes for a great taste of the exotic, but the meal as a whole falls well short of gourmet.

7 out of 10.