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Movies / On DVD / Nobel Son
Nobel Son

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Nobel Son (2008)

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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

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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

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1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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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
Cinema Signals

No review available.

comment Comment
01/03/09
Michael Dequina
Mr. Brown's Movies

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
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
Can Magazine

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
12/11/08
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
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
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
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
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
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 Source: At the Movies | comment Comment
12/08/08
Ben Mankiewicz
At the Movies

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
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
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
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
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
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
Hollywood.com

An absolutely abysmal crime flick.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
12/05/08
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
Chicago Reader
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

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

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
12/05/08
Tom Long
Detroit News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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