A Real Pain

11/16/2024

Finding ourselves, particularly the process of finding what we’ve lost about ourselves, can be an eye-opening, enlightening but sometimes-painful ordeal, especially if we’re unclear about where to look. For many of us, though, this is a challenge we often attempt to resolve by examining our past, specifically that of our family and its legacy, in hopes that it provides the answers we seek. Such is the quest embarked upon by two once-close cousins, David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin), who journey to Poland on an intimate heritage tour to visit the homestead of their beloved deceased grandmother, a Holocaust survivor who made her way to America after World War II. While David and Benji were at one time as thick as thieves, they’ve drifted apart over time, each becoming signific

11/20/2024

Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain sees two cousins reunite after a long period. David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) were raised together and were around each other so much growing up that they were brothers. They meet up in the present day for a Poland Holocaust tour that culminates with them visiting the house that once belonged to their grandmother. David and Benji are at two different stages of life despite being a few months apart. David has a full-time job, a wife, and a kid while Benji is single and doesn’t have a job. While David has fond memories of their grandmother, she was Benji’s favorite person in the world and her death took a huge toll on him that he still hasn’t gotten over. The two estranged cousins are complete opposites of one another.

1/3/2025

Good little buddy trip flick. Funny bits. Characters. Stupid tourists making life miserable for locals. Better acting than the mighty Megalopolis. Very clever title.

1/9/2025

"Grandma Dory" has passed away and left her two grandsons some money so that they can take a trip to Poland and see where she grew up amidst the Nazi invasion and subsequent holocaust. These two are cousins. "David" (Jesse Eisenberg) is a bit of a shy, geeky, type who lives in New York with his wife and child. "Banji" (Kieran Culkin) is quite the opposite. A free spirited, thinking and speaking individual who cares little for what anyone else thinks about him. The pair clearly love each other, but the behaviour of the latter continues to rattle his travelling companion, especially when they meet up with the other members of their touring party in Warsaw. What now ensues is quite a testament to both Eisenberg's vision as a writer/director but also to the inspired casting of Culkin. He is th

1/9/2025

<em>'A Real Pain'</em> is a real solid watch. It makes up for its no-frills with plenty of heart and a meaningful buddy road trip. It's described as a comedy-drama and it is, though I'd say it's more the latter than the former; albeit with a still sizeable dose of comedy, it is amusing. Kieran Culkin is the reason for the aforementioned, he is the star of this particular show and is funny throughout - though when he has to play more serious, he does to very good effect. Jesse Eisenberg (also dir.) acts alongside, he plays his character really well too. Two strong performers! Will Sharpe and Kurt Egyiawan are good too. I remember seeing part of the trailer and thought it had <em>'Planes, Trains and Automobiles'</em> vibes, I guess there are naturally tiny shades of that but it is very

6/25/2026

Summary: 7/10: a film with real strengths in performance and tone, undermined somewhat by its inability to fully commit to its central relationship. Jesse Eisenberg's directorial effort is an interesting film, though not a brilliant one. Two cousins, David and Benji, embark on a Holocaust tour through Poland to honor their grandmother's memory, and what follows is a study in contrasts: David's anxious restraint against Benji's manic energy, comedy against pathos, the weight of historical trauma against the immediacy of personal pain. The balance of comedy and pathos here is what carries the film. Eisenberg understands how humor and grief coexist, how a tour bus full of people confronting unimaginable historical horror can still contain petty irritations, awkward moments, genuine laug