What's in a name? That's one of the many questions posed in director Mira Nair's new movie, The Namesake, a colorful film that brings Jhumpa Lahiri's novel to life. The movie looks at two generations of a Bengali family living in America—not surprisingly, cultural collisions between traditional parents and Western-influenced kids ensue.

Actor Kal Penn, of Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle fame, delivers a solid performance as a frustrated son torn between the pet name his parents gave him, Gogol, and his official name, Nikhil, which he shortens to Nick. But don't assume that this is yet another movie about a first generation immigrant struggling to find his American identity.

"I play an American kid who is moderately bothered by his name growing up—not because of the color of his skin, rather because the author after whom he's named (Nikolai Gogol) was largely thought to be insane in his personal matters," Penn has explained. "His ethnicity has nothing to do with it." (It's actually Gogol's mother, Ashima, who has a hard time adjusting to her new culture.)

Ashima is played with impressive conviction by veteran Bollywood actress Tabu, who successfully captures the bound energy and strength of the character. The movie, though, loses its emotional grip despite a talented cast. Repeated over-the-top tragedies (that force the family to come together) and Gogol's cliched romantic relationships (Jacinda Barret plays his truffle-loving Manhattan princess girlfriend) bring the tone dangerously close to an episode of The O.C.—but that was canceled for a reason.

In the end, The Namesake picks up the pieces, and finds the same emotional resonance it had in the beginning. But by that point, you'll probably just be glad that Gogol's personal odyssey is over and look back at the two hours as something you had to endure rather than something you really enjoyed.

-Kieran Cusack

RANDOM TANGENT:
Make sure to check out this hilarious interview that Kal did with the boys from SNL.

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