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Kelaru & Fulton rating: ★★★★
Runtime: 1 hrs 30 mins
Watching Jesse Eisenberg in this film (and many others), it’s clear that he’s a huge fan of Woody Allen. He is that neurotic, troubled, and insecure persona—questioning societal norms, viewing life through a different lens, and ultimately becoming a victim of everything others accept as normal. And he writes in much the same way, an effort that has earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay this year.
That said, while I’m a fan of Woody Allen’s films, A Real Pain thankfully isn’t that. The film follows two cousins, David (Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network, Zombieland) and Benji (Kieran Culkin, Succession), as they travel to Poland to visit their late grandmother’s childhood home. She was a Holocaust survivor, and the trip serves as both a personal and historical reckoning. Their journey takes them through Poland, where they join a tour group visiting significant Holocaust sites, culminating in a visit to Majdanek Concentration Camp outside Lublin.
Eisenberg’s background in playwriting is evident throughout the film. The writing doesn’t just rely on strong dialogue—it subtly unpacks the characters and their struggles, making them both intriguing and deeply relatable. Beyond the two leads, the supporting cast is well-developed, each member connected to a Holocaust victim while carrying their own unspoken burdens. We see only the tip of the iceberg of their personalities, but the depth of emotions lurking beneath the surface is unmistakable.
This is captured perfectly in Kieran Culkin’s performance as Benji—a career-defining role. Culkin’s career trajectory has been an interesting one. He first gained recognition as the younger brother of Macaulay Culkin from Home Alone, but in many ways, he remained in that shadow until his Emmy-winning role in Succession. In A Real Pain, however, he truly steps into his own, delivering what is arguably his finest work to date.
Benji is introduced in the script with a simple but telling line:
This is Benji Kaplan. He has an absent look on his face that borders on melancholy.
That absent look is just the surface. As we get to know Benji, it becomes clear there is much more beneath—trauma, self-awareness, and a complex emotional landscape that makes him endlessly fascinating. He can be the most engaging, insightful person in the group one moment and the harshest critic the next. He is both self-analytical and self-destructive, a combination that gives an actor endless material to work with. Culkin takes that and soars, delivering a performance reminiscent of Jack Nicholson’s early career-defining roles in Easy Rider and One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest.
The decision to campaign Culkin for Best Supporting Actor rather than Best Actor is both strategic and smart. As the current frontrunner, this positioning significantly increases his chances of winning an Oscar—one that could serve as the true launching pad for his career, much like Nicholson’s early Oscar wins did for him.
The chemistry between Eisenberg and Culkin is another highlight, both on and off screen. Their dynamic drives the film, creating an emotional and deeply human story that explores the imperfections and vulnerabilities of its characters with warmth and understanding. Despite its Holocaust-related backdrop, A Real Pain is never judgmental or punishing. Instead, it embraces its characters’ flaws with compassion, offering a sharp contrast to the historical weight of the subject matter.
The confidence and skill on display here signal great things ahead. A Real Pain is not just a standout moment for Culkin and Eisenberg—it’s a strong foundation for what I hope will be more masterpieces to come.