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Movies / On DVD / Nobel Son
Nobel Son

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Nobel Son (2008)

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Reviews Counted:3

Fresh:2

Rotten:1

Average Rating:6.7/10

Consensus: Despite the best efforts of a strong cast, Nobel Son is over-plotted and self-consciously odd.

Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: Randall Miller's NOBEL SON is an ultra-stylized comic thriller with so many twists it could make David Mamet blush. The film opens at the midway point for a quick jolt of violence, then backs up... Randall Miller's NOBEL SON is an ultra-stylized comic thriller with so many twists it could make David Mamet blush. The film opens at the midway point for a quick jolt of violence, then backs up and tells the story from the very beginning. Barkley Michaelsen (Bryan Greenberg) is a college student living under the shadow of his monstrous, arrogant father, Eli (Alan Rickman), who has just been awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry. When not being a genius, Eli reveals himself to be a truly miserable man who cheats on his beautiful wife, Sarah (Mary Steenburgen). As for Barkley, on the night that he goes home with a sultry poet named City Hall (Eliza Dushku), his life takes an unexpected turn for the dangerous. The arrival of a mysterious figure named Thaddeus James (Shawn Hatosy) confirms his troubled situation. At this point, the lies, double crosses, and backstabs begin to multiply at an alarming rate. NOBEL SON comes off like a glossy, revved-up hybrid between Quentin Tarantino and torture porn. Miller and Jody Savin fill their script with as many comic elements as they do noir-esque twists and moments of grotesque violence. Helping to bring things to fuller life is the impressive cast--most notably Hatosy, who lends a welcome measure of depth to a character that could have easily become a tired cliche. NOBEL SON is for those viewers who like a healthy dose of gore and humor with their twisting narratives. [More]

Starring: Alan Rickman, Bryan Greenberg, Shawn Hatosy, Mary Steenburgen

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

Director: Randall Miller

Director: Randall Miller
Screenwriter: Jody Savin, Randall Miller
Producer: Jody Savin, Randall Miller
Composer: Paul Oakenfold, Mark Adler
Studio: Freestyle Releasing

[See More Credits]

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Reviews for Nobel Son

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1 - 3 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
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[An] uneven but enjoyably titillating black comedy.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
12/05/08
Ronnie Scheib
Ronnie Scheib
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

An aggressively noisy exercise in style over substance about nasty people doing nasty things to one another in (sigh) Southern California.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
12/05/08
Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis
New York Times
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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 Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
12/04/08
Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
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