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Alan Rickman, Bryan Greenberg, Shawn Hatosy, Mary Steenburgen, Eliza Dushku ... see more see more... , Bill Pullman , Ted Danson , Danny DeVito , Ernie Hudson , Tracey Walter , Lindy Booth

A young man's moment of triumph is spoiled when he gets kidnapped before he can impress his father in this black comedy. Eli Michaelson (Alan Rickman), a well-respected scientist, has learned that he'... read more read more...s won the Nobel Prize in chemistry, which is a mixed blessing for his friends and family; while Eli's ego is a bit strong under the best of circumstances, this affirmation of his talent and intelligence has made him insufferable. Eli's wife, Sarah (Mary Steenburgen), a talented forensic psychiatrist, is more than annoyed by Eli's fondness for extramarital affairs (and lack of concern about hiding them), while his son, Barkley (Bryan Greenberg), has spent much of his life struggling to live up to his dad's expectations, with little success. Barkley is about to receive his Ph.D, just in time for his father's prize ceremony, when he's abducted by a pair of hapless crooks. The kidnappers demand Eli's two-million-dollar Nobel honorarium in exchange for Barkley's safe return. Also starring Bill Pullman, Danny DeVito, Eliza Dushku, and Shawn Hatosy, Nobel Son received its world premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

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47% liked it

3,041 ratings

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25% liked it

65 critics

PG-13, 1 hr. 50 min.

Directed by: Randall Miller

Release Date: December 5, 2008

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DVD Release Date: March 10, 2009

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Flixster Reviews (404)

  • LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    August 8, 2010
    LorenzoVonMatterhorn
    "There is more barbarity in eating a man alive than in eating him dead."

    Barkley Michaelson is in a deep life rut. He's struggling to finish his PhD thesis when his father, the learned Eli Michaelson, wins the Nobel Prize for Chemistry.

    ... read morey Schoolbook">REVIEW
    This is a perfect indie film with a bizarre script with endless twists and turns, excellent actors in quirky, often off-putting roles, a loud, funky soundtrack, and a pace that's so quick you'll need to see the movie twice to absorb it all. The ensemble cast is headed by Alan Rickman at his sarcastic best, wallowing happily in his role as a heartless husband and father. He's wonderful. Steenburgen's role is never fully explained; why would she stay married to such a beast? Bill Pullman is great as the cop who investigates the kidnapping. He's sympathetic, professional, and ultra-creepy all at the same time. Bryan Greenberg is good as the kidnap victim. Danny de Vito and Ted Danson round out the cast in small parts.

    The exciting script will keep you guessing and the acting is top-notch. Recommended.
  • LWOODS04
    July 31, 2010
    LWOODS04
    Cast: Alan Rickman, Bryan Greenberg, Shawn Hatosy, Mary Steenburgen, Bill Pullman, Eliza Dushku, Danny DeVito, Ted Danson, Ernie Hudson, Tracey Walter, Lindy Booth, Kevin West

    Director: Randall Miller

    Summary: On the verge of receiving the Nobel Prize in chemistry, Prof. El... read morei Michaelson (Alan Rickman) learns that kidnappers have snatched his son Barkley (Bryan Greenberg), a promising graduate student. But when the captors want a ransom of $2 million -- the exact amount of the Nobel Prize money -- the self-serving Eli refuses to cough up the cash in this vitriolic tale about an acutely dysfunctional family.

    My Thoughts: "This movie is full of twists and turns, and I wasn't expecting any of it. I was expecting a dark comedy, which I got, but it also was a bit of a thriller. It was quite funny thanks to Alan Rickman. His character is completely full of himself, and his comments will either have you annoyed or laughing. I have seen some films with Shawn Hatosy, and I really like his acting. I thought this movie's story was fresh and interesting. Has a great cast all around. The story althought being fresh, is a bit farfetched. But its interesting none the less. Give it watch.. "
  • paulsandberg
    February 2, 2010
    paulsandberg
    This film is fresh only because of Alan Rickman's wonderful turn as the self absorbed Nobel Laureate; otherwise it's too tricky by half and too contrived and self conscious by at least that much.

    Just as the coffee house "poets" take their turn offending the audience, this fil... read morem tries way too hard to be witty; from the ultra hip music soundtrack, to the glib remarks from all concerned - only to fall into a feel good cliche ending that is only saved, once again, by Rickman who, wallowing in his angst of defeat, gets that learing glint in his eye as a neophyte student enters his lair.

    There are moments here that work rather well, and I was being entertained by the absurdity of the son's situation, until the abductor turns up renting the apartment attached to the family dwelling. From this point (about 2/3 through the film) it's a downhill ride into contrived plot and absurd devices - some sloppy writing and.... you get the idea.

    There are several "huh?" moments - for example, the film takes place in LA, but the son, in blackmailing his former abductor, tells him to put the cash in a locker at the bus station in Stovepipe Wells (which is in Death Valley, well over 150 miles away and not all that easy to get to). There's a nice picture of an old run down gas station - unfortunately, it's NOT Stovepipe Wells (I've been there). Ah well, so much for shattering the illusion (which was just hanging by a thread anyway).
  • FiLmCrAzY
    October 5, 2009
    FiLmCrAzY
    ive been waiting ages to see this and when i heard the mail on sunday was giving it away for free i had to buy it imidiately!
    I really enjoyed this movie, although its not got very many good reviews!
    Alan Rickman is brilliant at playing the moody but hilarious character and it ... read morewas good to see him reprise a role that is sort of like Professor Snape!
    Alan rickman is brilliant in this movie along with the rest of the cast. Its hilarious, tense, thrilling and keeps you guessing as to what is going on whilst being fully satisfied with the way it panned out and explained itself!
    Areally good movie that is completely worth a watch!
    Nobel Son is about a dad Eli Michaelson who wins the Nobel Prize and the $2million dollars that vcomes with it, when Barkley gets kidnapped it is the 2million that there after, but through twist, events and turns there is shocks waiting through this movie!
  • sononothing
    July 9, 2009
    sononothing
    There's nothing like a movie where Alan Rickman plays a total dick. He's a genius at it. No one comes close to what I refer to as "Rickman Dickery". He's an artist. Rembrandt worked in paints and Rickman works in being an asshole. Nobel Son is no exception with the Rickman playin... read moreg Eli Michaelson, a chemist who has just won the Nobel Prize, pushing his ego even further into the stratosphere. What seems like good fortune for Michaelson soon sours as his son Barkley (Bryan Greenberg) is kidnapped and held for his fathers $2 million prize. Of course Eli isn't going to hand over his money so easily, but this gets muddled by taking a simple plot and turning it into a convoluted mess.

    And that is the problem with Nobel Son. What was a simple plot that could have been played for great laughs, the film suddenly launches into too many sub plots: family trees, psych wards, stolen formulas, etc. The second half of the film becomes a road map to hell as you try to keep the plot straight and even after seeing it through there is no real answer to some of the more pressing questions in the film.

    Rickman is awesome, of course, but the rest of the cast is a little ho-hum. Sure Danny DeVito is in this, but it's mainly a cameo. Bill Pullman pulls off the role of a smarter than average cop with the same success he would have playing Princess Diana. Mary Steenburgen does give the audience one glimmer ray of hope in an otherwise dud cast.

    I don't know if Nobel Son tries too hard or too much, but the film collapses in its second half. This is mainly for Rickman fans. Others should steer clear.
  • gator681
    February 5, 2010
    gator681
    In "Nobel Son," chemistry professor and Nobel Prize winner Eli Michaelson(Alan Rickman) and his wife Sarah(Mary Steenburgen) wait patiently at the gate for their flight to Stockholm. But their son Barkley(Bryan Greenberg), who is currently working on his anthropology PhD thesis ... read moreon cannibalism, has not yet put in an appearance. His getting distracted explains why he is not there, spending the night and morning with City Hall(Eliza Dushku, who might have missed her calling as a slam poet). Finally returning home, Barkley is attacked by an unknown stranger(Shawn Hatosy, who is convincingly creepy).

    "Nobel Son" proves that no matter how hard cutting off a thumb may be, successfully pulling off an offbeat noir film is much harder. Only a few scenes really work. Of course, a serious lack of logic and character development do not help, either. It would have been much more interesting if Eli had started off as much beloved by everybody around, slowly revealing him to be a cad, which would have made it hard for Eli to grow up in the great man's shadow, creating tension in the process. Instead, the first we see of Eli is having sex with one of his students(Lindy Booth) on top of his desk which instantly establishes him as something of a lout. That just leaves us wondering what exactly his wife saw in him in the first place.
  • SC007
    July 31, 2010
    SC007
    WOW!!! Great film. This one did take me by surprise. The film was well casted and the dialog is very sharp. The style of the film reminded me of the style of Smokin Aces. The film also reminded me of films like Suicide Kings and Wild Things. I definitely recommend this film.
  • xxdebxx
    September 15, 2010
    xxdebxx
    Grad student Barkley Michaelson (Bryan Greenberg) is getting his PhD but his choice of topic doesn't sit very well with his dad, an arrogant, pompous, narcissistic college professor (Alan Rickman) who's just been awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry and who wants his son to car... read morery on his legacy after he's gone. Boasting a troupe of talented veterans which includes Bill Pullman, Danny DeVito, Mary Steenburgen, Ted Danson, Ernie Hudson, Shawn Hatosy, and Eliza Dushku, the film takes us on a dark ride with blazingly quick twists and turns, that kept me guessing.

    Eliza Dushku stands out as the criminally involved seductive City Hall and Danny Devito give an outstanding performance as the neurotic neighbor still struggling with his OCD. I also enjoyed the fantastic and banging techno type music which is a major component of this film.
  • wbgoose13
    January 1, 2009
    wbgoose13
    An aggressively atonal crime caper - smug and glib and apathetic as to who gets what, so long as it seems clever in the meantime.
  • jonnycrumley
    January 10, 2012
    jonnycrumley
    OK movie. The first half of the movie was fine, and then it tried to be a little too clever, and fell flat on it's face. But a seasoned cast of familiar faces made it watchable, especially Alan Rickman as the pompous father

View All Nobel Son Reviews

Critic Reviews

Ben Lyons
December 8, 2008
Ben Lyons, At the Movies

Is it a thriller? Is it a heist movie? Is it a comedy? Full Review

Ben Mankiewicz
December 8, 2008
Ben Mankiewicz, At the Movies

I had high hopes for Nobel Son at the halfway point, but it ultimately really completely collapses under the weight of its clever twists. Full Review

J. R. Jones
December 5, 2008
J. R. Jones, Chicago Reader

The plot twists are mostly predicated on the characters' improbably shifting loyalties, the sort of thing you can get away with only when the people in your movie are drained of all compassion. Full Review

Tom Long
December 5, 2008
Tom Long, Detroit News

It's one of those films stuffed with odd characters in overblown situations. Unfortunately, you don't care about any of them. Full Review

Liam Lacey
December 5, 2008
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

Even if you can summon some admiration for Nobel Son's editing or snippets of clever dialogue, the movie is so relentlessly self-congratulatory, you can't help becoming thoroughly sick of it. Full Review

Joe Leydon
December 5, 2008
Joe Leydon, Houston Chronicle

Only when Nobel Son stops trying so hard does it have any appeal at all. Full Review

Daniel Getahun
December 5, 2008
Daniel Getahun, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Like the worst of holiday quarrels, it's much more irritating than interesting, and by the end of it you'll be filled with as much seasonal cheer as Ebenezer Scrooge. Full Review

Kyle Smith
December 5, 2008
Kyle Smith, New York Post

Except for a mildly engaging heist scene in the middle of the movie, the story never gets within a mile of the Quentin Tarantino classics it tries to evoke. Full Review

Stephen Whitty
December 5, 2008
Stephen Whitty, Newark Star-Ledger

A snarky, blackly comic crime drama, the whole thing unfolds like the feverish Welsh Rarebit dream of Guy Ritchie's chauffeur. Full Review

Steven Rea
December 5, 2008
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Fans of Rickman will appreciate the actor's sneering mix of buffoonery and misanthropy, Steenburgen gives another of her playfully ironic turns, and Miller's direction allows for few, if any, lulls. Full Review

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  • What movie has Alan Rickman, Bill Pullman, Mary Steenburgen, And Danny Devito? (Coming Soon)  Answer »
  • Ruthless People (1986) was this actors first movie. He has since gone on to star in such titles as A League of Their Own, While You Were Sleeping, Spaceballs, and most recently Nobel Son. Who is he?  Answer »
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