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"Crazy's just a choice."
Eli Michaelson (Alan Rickman), an egotistical, obnoxious, uncaring chemistry professor, has just been named a Nobel Prize recipient. Notorious for his sexual activities with attractive undergrads in exchange for good grades, Eli's long-suffering wife Sarah (Mary Steenburgen), a noted forensics psychiatrist, is set to fly off to Sweden with him for the rounds of receptions and award ceremony. Their only child, Barkley (Bryan Greenberg), is set to travel with them but doesn't show up at the appointed time. Eli, disgusted with his son who has chosen to study anthropology much to his father's dismay, scoffs at the phone call demanding a ransom for his son by an apparent kidnapper. The ransom, curiously, is exactly the $2M award Eli is to receive from the Nobel committee.
But it isn't long before both Eli and Sarah know this is a real ransom demand when a thumb, believed to be Barkley's, arrives at the Swedish hotel.
Berkley has been having a flirtation with funky poetess City Hall (Eliza Dushku), and Max Mariner (Bill Pullman), a family friend and crafty detective, tries to find the kidnapper and the details of this incident.
After numerous twists, turns, rounds of jealousy, greed and backstabbing, the story is revealed.
Also appearing are Shawn Hatosy as the kidnapper, Ted Danson as one of Eli's associates, Danny DeVito in a small but pivotal role as a compulsive neighbor, and Ernie Hudson as a cop.
Written and directed by Randall Miller.
Run time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
Rated R for some violent gruesome images, language and sexuality.
My personal rating: C+
Eli Michaelson (Alan Rickman), an egotistical, obnoxious, uncaring chemistry professor, has just been named a Nobel Prize recipient. Notorious for his sexual activities with attractive undergrads in exchange for good grades, Eli's long-suffering wife Sarah (Mary Steenburgen), a noted forensics psychiatrist, is set to fly off to Sweden with him for the rounds of receptions and award ceremony. Their only child, Barkley (Bryan Greenberg), is set to travel with them but doesn't show up at the appointed time. Eli, disgusted with his son who has chosen to study anthropology much to his father's dismay, scoffs at the phone call demanding a ransom for his son by an apparent kidnapper. The ransom, curiously, is exactly the $2M award Eli is to receive from the Nobel committee.
But it isn't long before both Eli and Sarah know this is a real ransom demand when a thumb, believed to be Barkley's, arrives at the Swedish hotel.
Berkley has been having a flirtation with funky poetess City Hall (Eliza Dushku), and Max Mariner (Bill Pullman), a family friend and crafty detective, tries to find the kidnapper and the details of this incident.
After numerous twists, turns, rounds of jealousy, greed and backstabbing, the story is revealed.
Also appearing are Shawn Hatosy as the kidnapper, Ted Danson as one of Eli's associates, Danny DeVito in a small but pivotal role as a compulsive neighbor, and Ernie Hudson as a cop.
Written and directed by Randall Miller.
Run time: 1 hour, 50 minutes
Rated R for some violent gruesome images, language and sexuality.
My personal rating: C+
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