RottenTomatoes.com
Log In | Register | What is RT?
RT's Blu-ray HQ
  • Home
  • Movies
  • DVD
  • Celebrities
  • News
  • Critics
  • Trailers & Pictures
  • CommunityBeta
  • Box Office
  • | In Theaters
  • | Opening
  • | Upcoming
  • | Best Of
  • | Certified Fresh
  • | Showtimes
RT Search Powered by Google
help icon Enhanced RT
searches on Google
Click here to turn on enhanced search results from RT on your Google searches.
 
Movies / On DVD / Nobel Son
Nobel Son

Rate this Movie Help Icon

  • Write a Review
  • Read Reviews
  • Add to List
  • Get this Movie
  • Buy Poster External Icon
  • Visit Official Site External Icon
Bookmark and Share

Nobel Son (2008)

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
25 %
Tomatometer
Template ImageTemplate Image

How does the Tomatometer work Help Icon

Reviews Counted:56

Fresh:14

Rotten:42

Average Rating:4.1/10

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

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for some violent gruesome images, language and sexuality.

Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Dec 5, 2008 Wide

Box Office: $333,912

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]

  • Trailers
  • Pictures
  • She Gave Him a Ride
    >
    Hanging Up
    >
    Interrogation
    >
    The Nobel Prize
    >
  • Trailer
    >
    Thumb Crimes
    >
    Teaming Up
    >
    Ransom Money
    >
  • Red Band Trailer
    >
    Inspirations
    >
1 - 4 of 10

See More Movie Trailers & Pictures

Get This Movie

Rent DVD
 
 

Click on the "ADD" button to put this movie into your Netflix queue.

 
 
Buy DVD
 
 
Release:

Nov 30, 1999

[DVD Details]
 
 

DVD Features:

  • Region 1
  • NTSC
  • Keep Case
  • Anamorphic Widescreen - 2.35

Audio:

  • Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
 
 
 
 

Reviews for Nobel Son

  • T-Meter Critics
  • Top Critics
  • RT Community
  • My Critics
  • My Friends
  • DVD
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

Rickman's a professorial womanizer who's not above turning a "C" student's grade to "A" if she looks like City Hall (Eliza Dushku) and puts out.

Full Review Source: Cinema Signals | comment Comment
06/11/09
Jules Brenner
Jules Brenner
Cinema Signals
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
04/23/09
Peg Aloi
Peg Aloi
Boston Phoenix

No review available.

comment Comment
01/03/09
Michael Dequina
Michael Dequina
TheMovieReport.com

I have no idea how all the scenes in this movie connect. But I loved watching it unfold.

Full Review Source: Quad City Times (Davenport, IA) | comment Comment
12/20/08
Linda Cook
Linda Cook
Quad City Times (Davenport, IA)

You want to see how it plays out, but it's just frustrating to wade through all the "style" to get there.

Full Review Source: Can Magazine | comment Comment
12/12/08
Fred Topel
Fred Topel
Can Magazine

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
12/11/08
Jonathan Kiefer
Jonathan Kiefer
Sacramento News & Review

Its 110 minutes are a totally disposable piece of fluff, but perhaps more importantly, also a whole lot of fun.

Full Review Source: Paste Magazine | comment Comment
12/10/08
Sean Gandert
Sean Gandert
Paste Magazine

Never feels like anything more than an über-nerd desperately trying to be cool -- like watching Jon Heder pretending to be James Bond.

Full Review Source: Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC) | comment Comment
12/10/08
Ken Hanke
Ken Hanke
Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

The screenplay starts out clever enough, but devolves into a ridiculous mishmash of incoherent subplots.

Full Review Source: Kaplan vs. Kaplan | comment Comment
12/09/08
Jeanne Kaplan
Jeanne Kaplan
Kaplan vs. Kaplan

Director Miller employs high-octane music and the technique of high speed filming for certain sequences, which I suppose is a blessing since they shorten the running time.

Full Review Source: Kaplan vs. Kaplan | comment Comment
12/09/08
David Kaplan
David Kaplan
Kaplan vs. Kaplan

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

Full Review Source: At the Movies | comment Comment
12/08/08
Ben Lyons
Ben Lyons
At the Movies
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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 Source: At the Movies | comment Comment
12/08/08
Ben Mankiewicz
Ben Mankiewicz
At the Movies
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's one of those perfect-crime kinda flicks, wrapped up in familial angst as a black-comedy topping. That it's all rather ridiculous and overly complicates itself in the process is almost beside the point...

Full Review Source: Flick Filosopher | comment Comment
12/07/08
MaryAnn Johanson
MaryAnn Johanson
Flick Filosopher

Gets more and more convoluted and preposterous as it goes along, and far less fun...a movie that, despite the title, will win no prizes.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
12/07/08
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

An undignified mess that should embarrass Rickman and everyone else involved.

Full Review Source: Let's Not Listen | comment Comment
12/06/08
Tricia Olszewski
Tricia Olszewski
Let's Not Listen

It's the sort of movie where calling it 'over the top' can only be taken as a compliment.

Full Review Source: Worcester Telegram & Gazette | comment Comment
12/06/08
Daniel M. Kimmel
Daniel M. Kimmel
Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Nobel Son wins the prize for best Guy Ritchie copycat.

Full Review Source: What Would Toto Watch? | comment Comment
12/06/08
Christian Toto
Christian Toto
What Would Toto Watch?

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

Full Review Source: Hollywood.com | comment Comment
12/05/08
Pete Hammond
Pete Hammond
Hollywood.com

An absolutely abysmal crime flick.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
12/05/08
Nick Schager
Nick Schager
Slant Magazine

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 Source: Chicago Reader | comment Comment
12/05/08
J. R. Jones
J. R. Jones
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
all

Latest News for Nobel Son

June 08, 2009: RT on DVD: Gran Torino, Crossing Over, Nobel Son Exclusive Look
This week on DVD, celebrate the big screen heroics of two former movie heroes (Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino, Harrison Ford in Crossing Over) or watch Clive Owen and Naomi Watts... More...

December 04, 2008: Critics Consensus: Cadillac Records Rocks, Punisher Hurts
This week at the movies, we've got red-hot rhythm and blues (Cadillac Records, starring Adrien Brody and Beyonce Knowles), vigilante justice (Punisher: War Zone, starring Ray... More...

November 10, 2008: Trailer & Poster review Opens in new window
More...

See All

More DVDs

Close
Top Rentals
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
15% 15% The Ugly Truth
98% 98% Up
36% 36% G.I. Joe: The Rise of …
52% 52% The Taking of Pelham 1…
45% 45% Ice Age: Dawn of the D…

More Rentals…

New On DVD This Week
Tomatometer Percentage Movie
36% 36% Angels & Demons
68% 68% Funny People
25% 25% Four Christmases
45% 45% Shorts

More New Releases…

See All

RT On Current TV

The Rotten Tomatoes Show on Current TV

DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...

Learn how you can be part of the show

More...

What’s Hot On RT

Total Recall

Total Recall

John Travolta's top reviewed movies

Disney Countdown

Disney Countdown

Look back on Disney's best animated movies!

RT's Gift Guide

RT's Gift Guide

Give the best movies, gear, and more!

Ninja Assassin

Ninja Assassin

Learn to train like a ninja in this clip!

Other News

Close
  • Top Stories
  • Popular
  • Interviews
 
 

Comments

 
 
Top Stories
Headlines Comments
  
  • Natalie Portman Says Kat Denning Is in Thor Source: MTV
34
  • Disney Restructuring Has Broad Implications Source: Los Angeles Times
10
  • Joel Silver Talks Ninja Assassin, Sgt. Rock, Lobo, and More Source: Collider.com
1
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
116
  • Idris Elba Joins Thor Source: Hollywood Reporter
112
  • Jackass 3D Coming in 2010? Source: Collider.com
32
  • 6 Reasons 'Twilight' Is Doomed Source: The Wrap
64
  • Forbes Names Hollywood's Most Overpaid Actors Source: Forbes
20
  • Chris Weitz Says He's (Almost) Done with Directing Source: Film School Rejects
26
  • Spider-Man 4 Casting Rumors Multiply Like Rabbits Source: Deadline Hollywood Daily
51
Popular
Headlines Comments
  
  • Box Office Guru Wrapup: New Moon Shatters Records
175
  • Critics Consensus: New Moon Wanes
129
  • Tomatometer Watch: Will Twilight's New Moon Dazzle?
97
  • Total Recall: Star-Crossed Lovers
75
  • Total Recall: John Travolta's Best Movies
71
  • Weekly Ketchup: Idris Elba cast in Thor, more Spider-Man 4 rumors
58
  • Friday Harvest: New Moon, Avatar, and more!
32
  • Critics Consensus: Flee From Ninja Assassin
21
  • RT on DVD & Blu-Ray: Angels & Demons, Funny People, and Superman
18
  • WB offers DVD to Blu-ray Trade-In Program
16
Interviews
Headlines Comments
  
  • "I Don't Hate Women": Lars von Trier on Antichrist
12
  • Eric Bana talks Love the Beast - RT Interview
9
  • Fight Club Sound Designer Reflects on Film's 10th Anniversary
19
  • James Schamus talks Taking Woodstock - RT Interview
6
  • John Hurt Talks Harry Potter, Quentin Crisp and Alien - The RT Interview
15
  • Terry Gilliam Talks Doctor Parnassus
20
  • Wes Anderson Talks Fantastic Mr. Fox - RT Interview
8
  • Wolverine Creator Len Wein Talks About the Film
28
  • Gavin Hood Talks Wolverine; Possible Sequel
28
  • Duncan Jones talks Moon, Sam Rockwell, and Mute
14
 
 

Sponsored Links

Around The Network

  • Nobel Son at Rotten Tomatoes
  • Nobel Son at IGN

Fresh Links

Featured
Wes Anderson on Fox
Wes Anderson on Fox External Link

The director talks about puppetry perfection and his film, Fantastic Mr. Fox

The New Cult Canon
The New Cult Canon External Link

AV Club looks at a beloved cult classic, Sam Raimi's Army of Darkness.

New Moon Portraits
New Moon Portraits External Link

TIME offers us a closer look at the characters from the latest Twilight film.

Unsexiest Men Alive
Unsexiest Men Alive External Link

Moviefone lists their choices for the least attractive men in Hollywood.

Promos
Follow RT on Twitter
Follow RT on Twitter External Link

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!

 
 
About| Site Map| Help| RT To Go| Contact Us| Critics Submission| Linking to RT| Licensing| Movie List| Games| Celebs List| Newsletter
IGN Logo

IGN.com | GameSpy | Comrade | Arena | FilePlanet | GameSpy Technology
TeamXbox | Planets | Vaults | VE3D | CheatsCodesGuides | GameStats | GamerMetrics
AskMen.com | Rotten Tomatoes | Direct2Drive | Green Pixels


By continuing past this page, and by the continued use of this site, you agree to be bound by and abide by the User Agreement.
Copyright 1998-2009, IGN Entertainment, Inc. About IGN | Support | Advertise | Privacy Policy | User Agreement | Subscribe to RT's XML feed! IGN RSS Feeds
IGN's enterprise databases running Oracle, SQL and MySQL are professionally monitored and managed by Pythian Remote DBA
Certain product data ©1995-present Muze, Inc. For personal use only. All rights reserved.