A Real Pain

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 significantly different from one another, but they hope to reestablish their longstanding connection through this intensely personal pilgrimage. As their odyssey unfolds, though, they come face to face with the changes that have arisen both in their relationship and in their understandings of themselves, from life goals to their cultural background as the descendants of Polish Jews to how they fundamentally relate to the world. It’s an often-difficult process for these earnest seekers, especially in light of their discovery that, if they truly wish to better understand themselves, they can only go so far in looking outward, instead needing to look inward for guidance and meaningful insight. And its aptly selected title is an ably suitable metaphor on multiple levels, not only in describing Benji’s often-manic, irrational and unpredictable behavior, but also in characterizing the anguish that he and David undergo in making their way through this emotional minefield. This second feature effort from actor-writer-director Eisenberg is indeed an impressive offering, even if its road trip/buddy movie script could use some periodic tweaking in terms of focus and its balance between comedy and dra...

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. David plays it safe and is typically very quiet while adhering to the rules that are laid out before him. Benji is outspoken, charming, and doesn’t care what people think. People always know how he feels, which isn’t always a good thing since his moods change on a whim.

The performances are interesting because Jesse Eisenberg has always had this kind of neurotic demeanor about him as an actor (talks fast with few pauses, is anxious around other people, totally awkward). Leave it to a film that he writes, directs, and stars in for him to play the more grounded of the two main characters.

When Benji’s unusual behavior becomes unbearable, David cracks under the pressure of trying to hold it together and be the more level-headed of the two. Eisenberg portrays frustration, anger, sadness, and love in a way that is relatable and believable.

Kieran Culkin steals nearly every scene he’s in as Benji. As a character, Benji has a way of being the center of attention without really trying. He speaks his mind and does what he wants. He doesn’t care if he comes as rude or down to earth or like an asshole. He is effortlessly charismatic and funny with a ton of potential to be more than h...

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

Very clever title.

"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 the kind of holiday companion I'd cheerfully have killed with a rusty harpoon. Loud, brash, opinionated and sometimes borderline cruel as he imposes himself on the group swearing as he goes. Gradually, though, we discover that both men have shields up; both are dealing with some fairly deep psychological issues in their own way and even ought these may clash, there is still far more fundamentally connecting them that not. There are ample opportunities to see the sights of Warsaw, and there is an haunting few minutes at the Majdanek camp where shoes, thousands and thousands of shoes, make you shiver. It's potent and it's often funny, darkly so, and in many ways it slots nicely into the recent panoply of dramas about the fascination by younger generations in the horror of war that those who endured actually want to get past and forget. It also shines a light on the whole business of tourism around these monuments, and does make it quite clear that sometimes these trips can become a statistical box-ticking exercise, especially for Americans, who want to say they've "done" that. An architectural monument equivalent of a safari "big five". In the end I found "Benji" to be a vulnerable but...

'A Real Pain' 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 'Planes, Trains and Automobiles' vibes, I guess there are naturally tiny shades of that but it is very much its own thing. I definitely enjoyed watching it unfold.

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 laughter. The tonal shifts work; the film breathes in ways that feel true to how people actually navigate difficult emotional terrain.

The weakness is focus, or rather the lack of it. This wants to be a film about family, tolerance, and love, about two cousins trying to reconnect across the distance that's grown between them, about understanding someone whose pain manifests as chaos. That film would have ranked much higher. Instead, it keeps returning to the Holocaust tour itself, developing that subject too thoroughly, and the result feels diffuse. The historical weight and the personal story never quite merge into a coherent whole; they compete for attention rather than illuminating each other.

Eisenberg plays his trademark nebbish quite well, all nervous energy and apologetic existence. He knows this territory; David is a familiar type, the responsible one, the anxious accommodator. But Kieran Culkin is phenomenal here. His Benji is a highly believable manic depressive, charismatic and exhausting, capable of profound connection one moment and casual cruelty the next. Culkin makes you understand why people are drawn to Benji and why loving him is so difficult; he's magnetic and...