Overview
Mismatched cousins David and Benji reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the pair's old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.
Written, directed, and starring Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain is a buddy road comedy movie that sees the diametrically opposite personalities of two cousins clash when they travel to Poland to honor their grandmother who recently passed away, and connect with their heritage. David, played by Eisenberg, is a reserved and unassuming family man, whilst Benji, played by Kieran Culkin, is outspoken and erratic, and prone to manic episodes of melancholy. The pair join a group of sightseers on a Holocaust Tour as part of their experience, and their behaviours impact on the group around them as they discover important truths about their histories, and also who they are in the present.
Deliciously comical, and poignantly emotional, A Real Pain balances the two conflicting identities of the leads perfectly, allowing moments to shift from outright hilarity to solemn reflection with a deftness that certainly showcases Eisenberg’s strength in storytelling. In the role of David, he doesn’t really stretch himself much past the type of character he has become synonymous with over the last couple of decades, which allows Culkin to really shine and take the spotlight with a wild performance that is packed with fire and energy, but also an underlying sadness that Benji is trying to cover up. Culkin delivers one of the finest performances of his career to date, and it is gracious of Eisenberg in his own film to allow his co-star to dominate for all the right reasons.
This is a wonderfully witty, poignant, and sometimes heartbreaking film that earns every emotional beat that it delivers, with a central pairing that work so well together surrounded by a group of supports that include Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, and Liza Sadovy, who all provide something to add depth to the journey. In the final act, as the pair talk over how distant they became through the years, some hard truths are reflected on which will be sure to leave a lasting impression on anyone who has found themselves out of touch with someone they were once close to.