Alan Rickman, Bryan Greenberg, Shawn Hatosy

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. Barkley and his mother, Sarah, a ren...( read more  read more... )owned forensic psychiatrist, now have the ill-fortune of living with a man-eating monster whose philandering ways have gotten less and less discrete. As if Barkley's world is not bad enough, on the eve of his father receiving the Nobel, Barkley is kidnapped and the requested ransom is the $2,000,000 in Nobel prize money. Needless to say, Eli refuses to pay it and so starts a venomous tale of familial dysfunction, lust, betrayal and ultimately revenge. In the words of Michel De Montaigne, the 16th century philosopher: "There is more barbarity in eating a man alive than in eating him dead."

Flixster Users

52% liked it

632 ratings

Critics

25% liked it

56 critics

R, 1 hr. 47 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 (286)


  • August 11, 2009
    What a disappointment. And with some really powerful actors in its cast. The script had a few originality points, but it was all over the place. It had extreme highs and plummeting lows and to some roles, sequences and actions I couldn't even find the point. The mixing of technol...( read more)ogy, cannibalism, techno music, detailed thumb chopping, cheating and backstabbing between members of the same family is just too much for one script. The editing was crude and the overall existence of the movie needless.
  • July 9, 2009
    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 more)g 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.
  • March 31, 2009
    didn't finish
  • January 1, 2009
    An aggressively atonal crime caper - smug and glib and apathetic as to who gets what, so long as it seems clever in the meantime.
  • March 28, 2009
    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.
  • October 27, 2009
    Wonderful film... A must see for all Rickman fans
  • October 21, 2009
    It was sad at the end
  • October 12, 2009
    Just when you think that you know what is going on. I was very happy with the ending - it made it worth the struggle to get there.
  • October 12, 2009
    very interesting and unique story
  • October 5, 2009
    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 more)was 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!

Critic Reviews


December 5, 2008
Pete Hammond, Hollywood.com

It might not win any awards, but it's a highly entertaining way to spend an evening. full review

December 5, 2008
Nick Schager, Slant Magazine

An absolutely abysmal crime flick. full review

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

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

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

December 5, 2008
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

Nobel Son isn't funny enough for black comedy, nor suspenseful enough for a thriller; for all its flashy flailings and thumb-slicings, it's ultimately a little dull. full review

December 4, 2008
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The plot by itself could have become tiresome; no audience enjoys spending all evening walking into stone walls. But the acting is another matter. full review

View more Nobel Son reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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Nobel Son Trivia


  • 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 »
  • -Prime -The Perfect Score -Nobel Son -One Tree Hill -October Road Whitch Actor play in all of this movie and T.V. show?  Answer »
  • Danny "Lil' Evil" Devito Movie? Nobel Son  Answer »

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