- A REAL PAIN
- Starring: Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin
- Directed by: Jesse Eisenberg
- Rating: R
- Running Time: 1 hr 30 mins
- Searchlight Pictures
Our score: 4 out of 5
Nominated for two Academy Awards, including Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Kieran Culkin) and Best Original Screenplay (Jesse Eisenberg), “A Real Pain” is an intelligent, emotional film with one of the two or three finest individual performances for the 2024 cinematic year. While Eisenberg, who successfully wears three hats for this film, is terrific in his own right, Culkin is nothing less than magnetic in his role as a free-spirited young man who in one moment can be endearing and the next moment be irritating. Great chemistry, superb dialogue and a moving story make for a movie that is a real treasure.
Worried that he is not going to make it to John F. Kennedy International Airport on time, or that his first cousin, Benjamin “Benji” Kaplan (Culkin) may not make it either, David Kaplan (Eisenberg) is more than a little relieved, and perhaps a bit shocked that Benji is already waiting on him. After the recent passing of their beloved grandmother, who was a Jewish immigrant from Poland, the formerly close cousins decided to take a Jewish heritage tour to her ancestral homeland.
Although they were joined at the hip when they were kids, David has become a family man with a career while Benji remains a pot-smoking, free-spirited drifter without a filter. He criticizes David for becoming essentially boring and predictable. This causes friction between the two and several uncomfortable situations within their tour group as Benji’s outbursts become heated at times. Benji is a lot to take for everyone involved, especially for David who feels sorry for him. However, everyone seems appreciative of Benji’s honesty in the long run.
Culkin a whirling dervish of emotions throughout the film and he pulls it off spectacular fashion. Under Eisenberg’s skillful direction, Culkin is as equally endearing and maddening to the audience as he is to David. I was almost thankful for the film’s relative short running time because it proved to be a draining experience, but not in a negative way. Culkin and Eisenberg share great chemistry with one another as believable family members.
Eisenberg’s best work as director comes during a powerful, somber scene when the tour group visits Majdanek, the site of Nazi concentration camp during World War II. The dialogue is scarce as he lets the imagery of the well-preserved site speak for itself. It’s easy to see that the actors at this point are not acting but rather reacting in a very human way to the absolute tragedy that occurred there.
Overall, “A Real Pain” is a fantastic cinematic experience that reminds you how great the artform can truly be.
“A Real Pain” receives ★★★★ out of five.