A REAL PAIN – A Review by Cynthia Flores
This is Jesse Eisenberg’s follow-up to his directorial debut in 2022 When You Finish Saving the World. That film was critically praised but didn’t find an audience in the theaters. With his new film A Real Pain he may have figured out how to win both critical approval and the hearts of the audience.
Mr. Eisenberg is a very intelligent director and a nerdy-looking actor. He has a real gift for writing believable dialogue and finding humor in difficult situations. Intriguingly, he’s chosen to write a story that deals with what research calls Intergenerational Trauma amongst Jewish children and now grandchildren of the Holocaust of World War II. He uses the close bond between cousins who grew up together and are in two very different places in their lives.
The plot for A Real Pain seems simple. A set of cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) who were close as kids are now adults and estranged. They decide to reunite as adults and book a tour through Poland to honor their heritage and beloved grandmother who has passed. This uncomfortable adventure takes a turn when the cousins’ old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.
David and Benji run the full gamut of annoying each other one minute and remembering why they love each other the next. The tour group they’re traveling with has to endure Benji and his moods. He can go from life of the party to asshole in nothing flat. It doesn’t help that everybody in the group, besides the tour guide, is in their late 50s and 60s. So the cousins stand out for being so young to begin with.
There’s one person on the tour that Benji has grown close to and that’s Marcia (Jennifer Grey). A divorced older woman who is living back in her hometown with too much money and not enough to do. She is the most compassionate towards Benji and his obviously tortured soul.
A Real Pain will be talked about come Oscar time. It will make quite a few top-ten lists. And, it may even get Kieran Culkin a nomination for best supporting actor. He is riveting and pulls you into his emotional landscape oftentimes with just the physicality of his character Benji and his soulful stares. I could also see Jesse Eisenberg getting a nomination for best original script and maybe even best director. The movie is that good.
I give A Real Pain 5 stars. It’s a unique story that is brilliantly acted. Jesse Eisenberg created a world populated by these two cousins and made us care about them deeply. You will wonder what happens to them after the credits are done.
Directed by: Jesse Eisenberg
Written by: Jesse Eisenberg
Rated: R
Selig Rating: 5 Stars
Running Time: 89 min
Comedy/ Drama
Theatrical Release: November 15th
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyianwan, Liza Sadovy, Daniel Oreskes
The Selig Rating Scale:
5 Stars – Excellent movie/show, well worth the time and price.
4 Stars – Good movie/show
3 Stars – OK movie/show
2 Stars – Well, there was nothing else…
1 Star – Total waste of time.
