DVD Review: Nobel Son

“Nobel Son” is a film about a weathered relationship between a genius father and his overshadowed son. It’s also a film about kidnapping, adultery, lust, extortion, poetry, cannibalism, revenge, amputations, and just about anything else dramatic.

Alan Rickman (Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Sweeney Todd) plays Eli Michaelson, a philandering, arrogant physics professor who just won the Nobel Prize. His son Barkley (Bride Wars) has yet to gain his approval for anything, including his PHD work on cannibalism. On the eve of the Nobel Ceremony, Barkley is kidnapped and held for a two million dollar ransom. His father, thinking it’s a joke, yells at Barkley and refuses to pay the kidnapper. The circumstances change when he receives a severed thumb in the mail.

A great cast supports Rickman and Greenburgh, including: Shawn Hatosy, Mary Steenburgen, Bill Pullman, and Eliza Dushku. Danny Devito also has a small role as the Rickman’s reformed OCD neighbor. The ensemble of actors gave great performances, despite every character being a flat one-dimensional archetype. The script was bulky and the plot had way too many shocking reveals that ended up feeling unbelievable and pointless.

The featurette in the special features section offers some insight into the decision in casting, but mostly focuses on the cast and filmmakers complements towards the script. Whether authentic or not, these opinions don’t offer much insight into the creative process or about the films production.

From the opening credits to the last shot, this movie is over paced and super saturated with excessive camera movements and techno music. I love fast paced music videos and Guy Ritchie films, but even this one had me feeling like I needed a prescription of Ritalin to get the whole point. Paul Okenfold provides a fantastic score, but there is just way too much music in this film. Not a scene went by that didn’t have a distracting house beat or string ensemble in the background.

If you’re into movies that have funny one-liners and a shiny production value, check out this DVD. Just don’t expect too much replay value.

DVD features:
- Commentary with Cast & Filmmakers
- Deleted Scenes with Director Commentary
- Trailers for Nobel Son
- Featurette with behind the scenes footage and cast interviews
- Coming Attractions