Mismatched cousins David and Benji tour Poland to honor their grandmother. Their adventure becomes complicated as old tensions resurface while exploring their family history.
Director: Jesse Eisenberg
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy, and Daniel Oreskes
Release Date: November 1, 2024
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Rated R for language throughout and some drug use.
Runtime: 1h 30m
Review:
Jesse Eisenberg's buddy road trip movie, A Real Pain, is an efficiently directed dramady that packs an impressive emotional punch. Eisenberg's film is deceptively simple and straightforward but he manages to create a certain rhythm to his film that gives it an airy lightheartedness paired with a lingering melancholy. It’s a fascinating blend that works with familial and generation themes he's exploring. Eisenberg displays a talent to make smaller moments feel incredibly authentic as we watch these two reconnect throughout the film. It’s funny, awkward and devastating at various points as we follow this mismatched pair on their physical and emotional journey. On screen, Jesse Eisenberg is perfectly in his wheelhouse as the introverted, neurotic half of this odd couple. Eisenberg's performance gives his character a perfect sense of repressed, self control which works as perfect contrast to Culkin's unrestrained free spirit. Kieran Culkin performance is fascinating to watch with him giving a chaotic charm that's engaging while carrying around a hefty bit of emotional damage. Culkin and Eisenberg work off each other so well that every movement and look carries so much behind it that makes the relationship feel lived in and real. There's joy, pain and levels of resentment that comes through the screen in a way that only lifelong family relationships can create. Each character is complicated for a multitude of reasons which makes the film so incredibly watchable and impactful, a real testament to the work onscreen and behind it.
A
