Praise for The Namesake

Gabrielle had mentioned for weeks that she wanted to rent a certain movie called The Namesake. I had never heard of it -- which is rare for me. I usually run across a preview or Rotten Tomatoes review at least. I had no idea what the movie was about, what genre it was ... nothing.

Well, she finally rented it ... I saw glimpses of the movie while it played in the living room. Her father was watching it. The rest of us were running errands. What little I saw made me curious. It appeared to be an immigrant's tale, a man journeying from Calcutta to New York with his bride.

When I finally watched it, I was amazed.

Damian and I were talking about my favorite movies the other day, and he joked about how the last good movie I've seen is the one that impresses me the most. Well, this movie will make that list of movies that made an impression -- the kind of Terra Obscura movie I've already told people about. A movie that wasn't a summer blockbuster but one that should be required viewing.

I won't do any spoilers here. All I'll say is that any person who immigrated to this country, or is a 1st generation American, will relate to the story. Anyone who has lived in New York in the last thirty years will relate. Anyone who has dated American and foreign-born women will relate. Anyone who has ever lost a loved one unexpectedly will relate. Anyone who has traveled or wished to see the world will relate.

Fantastic movie. Fantastic story. I highly recommend it.