Soggy, sloggy family saga, adapted from the novel by Jhumpa Lahiri, spanning from Calcutta 1977 to New York City present day, and for the title figure, christened Gogol after the 19th-century Russian writer, spanning from mere gleam-in-the-eye to aspiring architect, engagement-breaker, husband and then cuckold. The passage of time, so effortless on the page, is rather a strain on the cast, although Irrfan Khan and Tabu as the father and mother handle it better than the young and younger actors who, at different times, play the protagonist and his eventual bride. All of the main characters are decently individualized, but the meat-and-potatoes theme, or possibly curry-and-rice theme, of Indian traditionalism vs. progressivism, especially as regards choosing a mate, drags them into the commonplace. Director Mira Nair has trod this ground before, in Monsoon Wedding, with a livelier step. Kal Penn, Jacinda Barrett, Zuleikha Robinson. (2007) — Duncan Shepherd
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