Nobel Son

 3/4

Starring: Alan Rickman, Bryan Greenberg, Mary Steenburgen, Shawn Hatosy, Bill Pullman, Eliza Dushku, Danny DeVito

Rated R for Some Violent Gruesome Images, Language and Sexuality

The challenge every thriller must overcome is to not lose sight of the characters.  If a crime plot becomes too convoluted and elaborate, the people involved can cease to be real people an instead become pawns for the screenplay.  "Nobel Son," directed by Randall Miller, very nearly crosses this line.  There are times when the film's plot strains credulity.  There are other times when I felt like I was playing catch up.  It is a testament to the cast members that they keep to personalities that feel consistent.  That's definitely an accomplishment, considering the things that they turn out to be capable of.

Eli Michaelson (Rickman) has just won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.  Normally, this would be time for celebration.  But for Eli's wife Sarah (Steenburgen) and son Barkley (Greenberg), it's anything but.  You see, Eli is one arrogant SOB who does not need any excuse to lord himself over everyone else.  When his class applauds him when he enters his class after the news is revealed, he cuts them off like a conductor and drawls, "If anyone in this room ever doubted my intellectual superiority, or were fortunate to be under my incomparable tutelage, you can now formally kiss my fine white ass."  His victory is short-lived, however.  Just as he gets to Sweden for the ceremony, he gets a call that Barkley has been kidnapped.  After initially calling the bluff, Sarah gets a package containing a severed human thumb.

More than that, I will not reveal.  Just understand that while watching this movie, never assume that what you see and hear is the truth.  No one is as innocent or as guilty as they seem, and everyone has a motive they're keeping hidden.  This is a double-edged sword.  On the one hand, it keeps things unpredictable; I challenge anyone seeing this movie for the first time to accurately predict where the film will end up ten minutes later.  On the other, it makes it difficult to identify with any of the characters.  How can you honestly care about someone if you don't know if they are who they are or are pulling a fast one on you?

Ultimately what saves the film is the fact that the characters are smart and well-acted.  From top to bottom, there isn't a weak performance to be found.  No one plays an arrogant, sneering bastard like Alan Rickman, and he bites into his most acid lines with relish.  It could be argued that no one but Rickman could have played this role, and that is the mark of a good actor.  Bryan Greenberg, whose career never took off like it should, shows that he has more to him than just the nice guy.  Ditto for Mary Steenburgen.  Shawn Hatosy is always good to play a tough guy, but he shows he can do more than that.  Bill Pullman, Eliza Dushku and Danny DeVito round out the cast in minor roles.  Or perhaps not so minor.

It's refreshing to hear such brightly written dialogue.  The screenplay is not dense or difficult, but the characters talk like refreshingly real people.  Some lines are meant to be savored.  Not that this is a snooty arthouse film.  Far from it.  In fact, the film features a series of running gags about a poetry slam in a coffee shop, and there's a bit with a foul-mouthed Santa decoration that had me roaring with laughter.

The film was directed by Randall Miller, whose career came to a standstill when he was held responsible for the death of Sarah Jones on the set of the now cancelled "Midnight Rider," a biopic of Gregg Allman where negligence, partially on Miller's part, led to the death of crew member Sarah Jones.  It was the first time a film director was sent to prison for the death of a cast or crew member.

In terms of direction, the film moves fast (too fast at times...the narrative can feel a bit jumpy) and has a bit too much energy.  Less frantic pacing and camera movement would have helped the film feel less hyper.  There are times when this feels less like a movie and more like a music video, which is never a good thing.

Still, I can't deny that I was entertained by "Nobel Son."  It isn't a great movie but I was entertained and it contains some several twists I wasn't expecting and a few laughs.  Plus, it's about two hours of spending time with people who are, if not likable, then are at least interesting and quirky (but not, you know, Wes Anderson quirky, if you know what I mean).

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