Paul Emmanuel Enicola The Asian Cut Feb 16, 2025

[The Namesake] understands that identity is not something one chooses definitively, but something fluid—reshaped by time, by experience, by the stories we inherit and the ones we create.

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Marya E. Gates Cool People Have Feelings, Too. (Substack) Aug 9, 2024

The scene is filmed with such a light touch, but is bursting with such complete understanding that the deepest loves are often expressed with a small glance or a meaningful gesture, rather than anything showy or grand.

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Yasser Medina Cinefilia Jan 6, 2021 4/10

Indian director Mira Nair's film has noble intentions that become noticeable from the preamble, but to me it seems as a flat and very dull drama about family, immigration, and cultural traditionalism. [Full review in Spanish]

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Leigh Paatsch Herald Sun (Australia) May 12, 2020 2.5/5

One of those films that easily wins your respect, but struggles to hold your attention.

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Felicia Feaster Creative Loafing Feb 3, 2020

[Nair's] film covers so much ground that it's hard to sustain emotional investment in its characters.

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Shubhra Gupta The Indian Express Jun 19, 2019

Mira Nair turns Jhumpa Lahiri's gentle, evocative novel The Namesake, into a gentle, evocative film.

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Namrata Joshi Outlook Jan 24, 2019 3/4

There are bound to be quibbles about whether they get their Bengali right or whether Nair captures the culture and ethos. But it still can't take much away from this humane, warm and elegantly crafted film.

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Kaleem Aftab The List Nov 3, 2018 4/5

The Namesake is an unhurried, insightful and deeply moving generational drama that cannot be recommended highly enough.

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Roxana Hadadi Pajiba Aug 23, 2018

The Namesake captures the interior struggle between centuries of history and the appeal of living only in the now, and it's grippingly beautiful and overwhelmingly moving.

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Sarah Manvel Cinemattraction Aug 7, 2018

Since Nair made such a stir with her fresh approach to William Thackeray's Vanity Fair, the fact that she simply translated The Namesake from page to screen proves to be a bit of a letdown.

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Hank Sartin Time Out Nov 16, 2011 3/5

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David Fear Time Out Nov 16, 2011 3/5

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Fernando F. Croce CinePassion Aug 27, 2009

Sprawling, uneven, heartfelt

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Wesley Lovell Cinema Sight Sep 30, 2008 2.5/4

Buoyed by terrific performances from Irrfan Kahn and the tremendous Tabu, the film is a bit homogenized but does a good job of exploring the dynamics of blending foreign cultures with American ways of life.

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Kevin Carr 7M Pictures Aug 17, 2008 2/5

lacks focus and never quite finds its footing

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Karina Montgomery Cinerina Feb 16, 2008 3.5/5

This movie is not bad, I just couldn't connect with it. The Namesake is poignant (I cried once) and spans many years with grace and great acting, but it may be beyond my ken to truly appreciate as it deserves.

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Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times Dec 7, 2007 3.5/4

What holds it together are the subtle loving performances by Tabu and Khan, both Bollywoood stars. They never overplay, never spell out what can be said in a glance or a shrug, communicate great passion very quietly.

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Jennie Kermode Eye for Film Dec 7, 2007 4.5/5

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Jordan Hiller Bangitout.com Dec 6, 2007 3.5/4

Mira Nair's film is called The Namesake which immediately focuses our attention toward the value of names and naming (and that theme is explored occasionally within the film), but to slip even further down the rabbit hole, the more intriguing area of disc

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Prairie Miller NewsBlaze Nov 25, 2007

Kal Penn, who got kooky for 'Harold and Kumer Go To White Castle,' shows his impressive serious side here as Gogol Ganguli, a guy who suspects that his given name may be a fatal turnoff with females.

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