Watch Nobel Son

Nobel Son is a 2007 black comedy thriller directed by Randall Miller and starring Alan Rickman, Bryan Greenberg, and Shawn Hatosy. The film follows a dysfunctional family of a Nobel laureate, Eli Michaelson (Alan Rickman), who is a manipulative, egoistic scientist with a tense relationship with his son Barkley (Bryan Greenberg), a failed writer. When Barkley is kidnapped before his father is to receive his Nobel Prize, the family's lives spiral out of control, leading to a series of unexpected events and revelations. The movie opens with Eli Michaelson, a renowned chemist and toxicologist, getting ready to attend the Nobel ceremony in Stockholm. He is a self-absorbed man who thinks highly of himself and takes his Nobel win as his rightful due. Eli has little time for his family, and his relationship with his son Barkley is especially strained. Barkley is a struggling writer who has never been able to impress his father. Although Barkley admires his mother Sarah (Mary Steenburgen), he cannot stand his father's arrogance. Things take a strange turn when Barkley becomes the victim of a kidnapping plot. An old acquaintance of Barkley, Thaddeus James (Shawn Hatosy), and his accomplice, City Hall (Bill Pullman), abduct him and demand a huge ransom from Eli. Surprisingly, Eli refuses to pay even though he has the means to do so. As Barkley remains in captivity, Eli, his wife Sarah, and his daughter Noreen (Eliza Dushku) are forced to confront their family's secrets and lies. The rest of the movie focuses on the Michaelson family's attempts to rescue Barkley and the consequences of their actions. The family members discover shocking truths about each other, leading to further conflicts and revelations. Meanwhile, Barkley struggles to survive in captivity, and his kidnappers' motives are slowly revealed. Nobel Son keeps the audience engaged with its unpredictable plot twists and dark humor. The movie is excellently acted, with Alan Rickman's portrayal of Eli Michaelson being a standout performance. Rickman delivers his lines with perfect comic timing, making the audience both laugh and cringe at his character's behavior. Bryan Greenberg also shines as the conflicted and vulnerable Barkley, while Shawn Hatosy's portrayal of the unhinged Thaddeus is genuinely chilling. One of the film's strengths is its use of flashbacks and non-linear storytelling to reveal the Michaelson family's backstory. The movie also explores themes of family dysfunction, jealousy, and the human cost of pursuing success at any cost. Overall, Nobel Son is an entertaining and engaging movie with excellent performances, clever writing, and unexpected plot twists. It is a sharp satire on the world of academia and scientific research, while also being a thought-provoking commentary on the price of ambition.