Nobel Son (2007)

Director:

Randall Miller

Writers (WGA):

Jody Savin (written by) &
Randall Miller (written by)

Release Date:

5 December 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

Keep your eyes on the prize.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Nobel Prize | Thesis | Ransom | Phd | Revenge

Cast

Alan Rickman	...	Eli Michaelson
Bryan Greenberg	...	Barkley Michaelson
Shawn Hatosy	...	Thaddeus James
Mary Steenburgen	...	Sarah Michaelson
Bill Pullman	...	Det. Max Mariner
Eliza Dushku	...	City Hall
Danny DeVito	...	George Gastner
Lindy Booth	...	Beth Chapman
Tracey Walter	...	Simon Ahrens
Ted Danson	...	Harvey Parrish
Ernie Hudson	...	Sgt. Bill Canega
Hal B. Klein	...	Tully's Guy
Kevin West	...	Jaundice
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Kirk Baily	...	Wil Cavalere
Dawn Balkin	...	Stewardess
Greg Collins	...	Foreman
Reid Collums	...	Delivery Guy
Lucy DeVito
Tiffany Downey	...	Model
Bennett Dunn	...	Bartender
Mark Famiglietti	...	Officer Relyea
Mary Pat Gleason	...	Ruby
Brendon Graham	...	Soldier
Joyce Guy	...	Eileen Moses
Larry Hankin	...	Dr. Polaczek
Juliette Jeffers	...	Claire
Matthew Kimbrough	...	Deacon
Joe Koons	...	Poet
Valerie Long	...	Excrement Woman
Wayne Lopez	...	Cabbie
Danika Quinn	...	Opera Singer (as Danika Osterman)
Dean Rader-Duval	...	Ernie
Johanna Torell	...	Analea
Matt Winston	...	Clifford
Avis Wrentmore	...	Model

MPAA:

Rated R for some violent gruesome images, language and sexuality.

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | Dolby SR

Certification:

USA:R | UK:15 | Ireland:15 | Netherlands:16

Filming Locations:

City of Industry, California, USA

Company:

Eli's Son Production

Trivia:

Mary Steenburgen and Ted Danson are married in real life, but their characters never interact. Danson's role is little more than a cameo.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: In the mall scene the mini cooper used was a base model but the sound coming from the motor was that of a Supercharged S model.

Quotes:

Eli Michaelson: If anyone in this room ever doubted my intellectual superiority, you may now formally kiss my fine white ass.

Movie Connections:

References Scarface (1932)

Darkly comedic psychological thriller which delights

I attended the World Premiere of Nobel Son at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. That's Nobel as in Nobel Prize, and it takes the festival prize in my book. This winning film, from writer/director/producer/editor Randall Miller (did he make lunch too?), is on my list of Top 10 Picks from among the 30 I saw at this year's festival.

Professor Eli Michaelson (Alan Rickman) is about to win the Nobel Prize. His son Barkley (Bryan Greenberg) is a promising Ph.D. candidate wanting little to do with his father's pomposity. A scheme is hatched which is sure to pit father against son in a way to maximize their inherent rivalry. Let the madness and mayhem begin. In addition to Greenberg and Rickman, Nobel Son stars a troupe of talented veterans including Bill Pullman, Shawn Hatosy, Danny DeVito, Mary Steenburgen, Ted Danson, Ernie Hudson, and Eliza Dushku.

It's always hard to single anyone out in such an amazing ensemble cast. Greenberg, the titular son, is a worthy protagonist. The roller coaster ride on which he is taken is chilling, yet his upper crust background and bravado veneer cannot hide his childlike innocence. It is that vulnerability which sucks us in and compels us to look even when we would rather look away.

Shawn Hatosy is one of the most prolific and versatile young actors in the business, and he is frighteningly brilliant here. The intensity he brings to this role never lets up from start to finish. Nobody is better at psycho-scary. Many will be blown away by his performance. If he wasn't on your radar before he will be after you see Nobel Son.

Alan Rickman provides most of the comic relief in a film that is much more dark than comedic. A lesser actor could have turned in an over-the-top performance which might have tipped the scales in favor of the lighter side of this film. That would have spoiled the intensity of the violent escapades these young men partake in. But he manages to play the buffoon as only a legend can.

I was quite surprised by the look and feel of this film. It's much more stylized than one might expect. Digital effects and clever camera work help take what could have been a standard caper movie (a la Oceans 11) and turn it into a psychological thriller, emphasis on the thrills. It is such a fascinating story and an amazing script, and kudos to Randall Miller for being able to create a work which defies categorization. Gasps and laughs are traded back and forth, yet it manages to toe the line between comedy and tragedy without losing its focus.

If Kubrick inhaled nitrous oxide while making A Clockwork Orange, it might look something like Nobel Son. It will keep you on the edge of your seat, literally. Nobel Son is a breathtaking, refreshing escape from convention.