A Real Pain
November 15th, 2024
MOVIE: A REAL PAIN
STARRING: JESSE EISENBERG, KIERAN CULKIN, JENNIFER GREY
DIRECTED BY: JESSE EISENBERG
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 3 ½ STARS (Out of 4)
RATED: R
RUN TIME: 90 MINUTES
Apologies for not giving credit, but I saw someone online describe A Real Pain as the Jewish Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, and that immediately piqued my interest. Living up to such a comparison is no easy feat, though, as Steve Martin and John Candy operate on a higher comedic plane than Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin. Still, the film delivers a trip movie that captures the highs, lows, and awkward discomfort of being on vacation with family. In this case, it’s even more uncomfortable as the trip is to Poland, where the two cousins explore their grandmother’s past and her survival of the Holocaust. What unfolds in A Real Pain is a funny, honest, and surprisingly poignant journey of two people reconnecting through all the discomfort of an awkward trip.
The central duo is David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Culkin) Kaplan—cousins with a shared history that makes them both eager and hesitant to take a long trip to Poland. Their goal is twofold: to visit the town where their grandmother grew up and to pay homage to her survival story during the Holocaust. Right from the start, it’s clear that both men share similar neuroses and social anxieties, though Benji (Culkin) comes across as the more high-strung of the two. They meet at the airport—Benji late, David on time—and immediately start talking at a mile a minute, as if speaking faster will somehow make the trip go by quicker. Ironically, this is just the beginning of the journey, and A Real Pain quickly becomes a buddy adventure between two people who are often at odds, yet ultimately find a way to connect.
Like many great travel movies—Midnight Run, The Trip, Before Sunrise—A Real Pain strikes a delicate balance between humor and sincerity. The comedy works particularly well, though the film occasionally falters when it leans into more tender moments. The issue is that Eisenberg and Culkin are so closely associated with their previous roles that it’s hard to fully lose oneself in their characters. Eisenberg is doing Eisenberg—his usual anxious, rapid-fire delivery—and Culkin leans into an even more emotionally distant version of his Succession persona. This slight familiarity is a minor issue in an otherwise solid performance from both, and one that would likely be less noticeable had the film cast other leads. Still, their undeniable chemistry drives the film, and when the trip shifts to a guided tour with strangers, their eccentricities clash with others in ways that add both comedy and tension.
That said, A Real Pain is more than just a quirky comedy. It’s an endearing exploration of family dysfunction and the way our histories—particularly those of survival and trauma—can subtly shape us. Beneath the humor lies a deeper layer about the Holocaust’s generational impact, the trauma that is passed down, and the potential for healing through understanding others’ experiences. It’s a story of finding comfort in shared experiences, even if that comfort is uncomfortable at times. A Real Pain is earnest, funny, and surprisingly emotional. It’s worth taking the journey.
3 ½ STARS
A REAL PAIN IS PLAYING IN THEATERS FRIDAY NOVEMBER 29TH, 2024.
Written by: Leo Brady
