Soon after his insufferably arrogant father wins the Nobel Prize for chemistry, Barkley Michaelson is kidnapped by Thaddeus James, a young genius who claims to be Barkley's illegitimate half-brother. Motivated not so much by money as revenge, Thaddeus tries to convince Barkley to help him carry out a multimillion-dollar extortion plot against their patriarch.
Acting
Rickman's deliciously despicable Nobel diva steals every scene.
Writing
Twisty heist structure that keeps you guessing who's playing whom.
Director
Randall Miller
Alan Rickman
Eli Michaelson
Bryan Greenberg
Barkley Michaelson
Shawn Hatosy
Thaddeus James
Eliza Dushku
City Hall
Bill Pullman
Max Mariner
Mary Steenburgen
Sarah Michaelson
Danny DeVito
Gastner
Ted Danson
Harvey Parrish
Ernie Hudson
Bill Canega
Lindy Booth
Beth Chapman
Tracey Walter
Simon Ahrens
Matt Winston
Book Store Manager
Kirk Baily
Wil Cavalere
Joyce Guy
Eileen Moses
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The film premiered at Tribeca but sat shelved for two years before its tiny theatrical release.
Rickman reportedly based Eli's pomposity on actual Nobel acceptance speeches he'd studied—then cranked the vanity to eleven.
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