Film 2347 - A Real Pain

Intro: I stayed at Micheal's for almost a week, so I had my list of things I wanted to watch (to switch from our usual "Drag Race" frenzy...). And this movie came highly reccomended by Niamh, so I was really curious to watch it.

Film 2347: "A Real Pain" (2024), Jesse Eisenberg
Watched on: From the TV
Language: English
Watched with: Michael
Thoughts: This is the first movie written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg that I watched. I thought it was his directorial debut, but it actually isn't, as he previously wrote and directed a movie called "When You Finish Saving the World" with Julianne Moore. seen that I didn't know too much about his previous work in these roles, I didn't know what to expect.
"A Real Pain" is a really weel constructed movie and a solid one. Through his screenplay, Eisenberg is capable of building a quirky, yet profound world that function well thanks to the chemistry between Eisenberg and his co-lead Kieran Culkin. Together thei're a match made in heaven.
Culkin, especially, thanks to his character is able to stand out, portraying Benji in a way that resimbles his Roman Roy from "Succession", but in a more low-key, depressed and "hippie" way. I'm sure he's winning an Oscar for this role.
Other than the two actors, though, the story explores grief and mental health, for a on the road/self-discory story that follows David (Eisenberg) and Benji's Jewish family roots all the way to Poland to visit the village where their grandmother grew up. While in the country, they go on a Jewish heritage tour that will take them to Majdanek, the Nazi German concentration in Lublin.
Needless to say, the subject of this movie is extremely heavy and yet Eisenberg finds a good balance between heavier and lighter moments, for an overall result that isn't a tough watch, but the very opposite (still, I would classify this as a comedy movie, as the Golden Globes did when recognizing "A Real Pain" in their categories). Not my favourite movie of the year, but absolutely a worthy watch.
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy, Daniel Oreskes.
Box Office: $19.6 million
Worth a watch?: A movie well done, with a charming cast and story, altough tough to process at times. Probably not everyone's cup of tea, but for those who are interest, definitely worth the watch. For those who thought Kieran Culkin gave the performance of a lifetime by playing Roman Roy, here's another character he mastered magnificently.
Awards: Nominated for 2 Oscars for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role (Kieran Culkin) and Best Original Screenplay (Jesse Eisenberg); the movie won at BAFTA in the same two categories. At the Golden Globe, it won for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role in Any Motion Picture (Culkin) out of 4 total nominations (Best Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, Actor in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, and Screenplay).
Key word: Grandma.
Trailer
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