"Nobel Son" is ignoble fun

Now, the aristocratic Rickman returns, lip and eyebrows still entertainingly mobile, in a much different role -- the vain, overbearing, philandering, arrogant (get the point?) Dr. Eli Michaelson, who wins a Nobel Prize, much to the dismay of his colleagues. Soon, however, his slacker son is kidnapped, and the ransom demanded is exactly the sum of the coveted award -- $2 million.

“Nobel Son” turns into a wild, twisted, very funny but often grotesque black comedy with a fine cast and clever script. Rickman is not the only familiar name in this production: it’s directed by Randall Miller, who also directed “Bottle Shock.” Back again is Bill Pullman, the winery owner Jim Barrett in “Bottle Shock,” as an ever-suspicious police detective. And remember that dark-eyed bartender in the wine movie, Eliza Duskhu? She’s here too, playing an oversexed artist named City Hall, a much meatier role.

As it turns out “meaty” is not an inappropriate term. The protagonist in the movie is the slacker, Barkeley Michaelson (Bryan Greenberg, Meryl Streep’s son from “Prime”). Although he eschews his father’s scientific specialization in microchemical reactions, he has his own obsession: cannibalism. This less socially accepted passion turns into a recurring theme in the unfolding story, usually with ghastly results.

If you’re at all queasy about such things, you’ll probably want to show up late: the first scene, the title sequence in fact, graphically demonstrates the amputation of a thumb from a living victim. Be reassured that this is the most unsettling act in the film, unless you count verbal abuse, assault with a lead pipe, beatings with fist and foot, automotive disaster, dreadful poetry and rooftop sex.

Back to the plot. After having that rooftop sex, young Barkeley is kidnapped by a lurker called Thaddeus Jones (Shawn Hatosy), a skilled auto mechanic and telephone techie who bears a life-long grudge against Dr. Michaelson. Thaddeus sends the ransom note and backs it up with the thumb, FedExed to Stockholm where the chemist is preeningly accepting his Nobel Prize.

Now you’re thinking: this is a comedy? Sure it is, though not one for the whole family. The thumping soundtrack by techno-mixologist Paul Oakenfold and zippy cutting (it’s also co-edited by the ubiquitous Randall Miller) clearly target the coveted R-rated male demographic, 18-29.

But the cast is likely to attract older filmgoers, too: Mary Steenbergen is Rickman’s long-suffering wife who’s sharp enough to have her own personal and professional agenda; Danny DeVito plays a recovering obsessive-compulsive gardener (borrowing mannerisms from Tony Shaloub’s “Monk”); Ted Danson, Ernie Hudson and character actor Tracey Walter show up as well. And recurring references to Pat Benatar suggest that maybe the script’s been knocking around for awhile, looking for a deal. (In fact the movie was made before "Bottle Shock," but is only now reaching distribution.)

“Nobel Son” puts me in mind of other fringe movies that delight their small audiences, and if lucky attain cult status, but will never be top-of-list on anyone’s resume, least of all Rickman’s, Steenbergen’s or DeVito’s. Like Martin Scorsese’s “After Hours,” Jonathan Demme’s “Something Wild” or even the more recent “Cellular” (with Jason Stratham as the heavy), this film features a largely incomprehensible plot run through a blender on high, with unpredictable ingredients and somewhat flamboyant techniques.

The script is by Miller and co-writer Jody Savin, who have partnered on several films in addition to "Bottle Shock." As noted at the time, that wine movie was needlessly formulaic, much to its detriment. By contrast, the narrative here seems to be several storylines sutured together by necessity; when one plot runs its course, another is willy-nilly grafted on, making it altogether unpredictable if not capricious. Yet if it seems tonally derivative of a Guy Ritchie caper like “Snatch,” well, there are worse ways to spend time at the movies.

If you like this sort of mad confection -- and I, for one, do -- “Nobel Son” can be more fun than you have any right to expect. Alan Rickman is in fine form, we haven’t seen Mary Steenbergen this good in years, and Bryan Greenberg keeps us on his side throughout.

And if you wanted to see more of that bartender in “Bottle Shock,” you’ll get to see more – lots more – of Eliza Dushku here. She brings her all to the role, and that coveted demographic is sure to appreciate it.