"A Real Pain" Review

A reflection on family, legacy, and those we hate to love

SPOILER FREE

Both Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg have caught the eyes of audiences through their stellar, nervy characters in years past. So, when news circulated the two would pair up as co-stars and Eisenberg as the director, it was easy to predict outstanding results. A Real Pain does not disappoint, but it does surprise.

Culkin and Eisenberg star as Jewish cousins Benji and David, respectively. Their grandmother, whom they were close to, has recently passed away and left them money to take a trip to Poland together to discover where she grew up and survived the Holocaust. The two cousins were incredibly close growing up. Still, they drifted apart due to differing life choices: David is a typical family man with a 9-to-5 corporate job, and Benji has jumped from job to job, mostly smoking weed in his mom’s basement.

This premise immediately promises depth and complexity, but it is not always there. As the cousins grapple with the atrocities they learn about, they teeter between vulnerability and stoicism. David remains stoic about his emotions but wants Benji to dig deeper and confront his own issues. Benji is much more openly emotional and hunts for vulnerability on their trip, but he lacks the ability to express his own feelings. The backdrop of a Jewish history trip in Poland provides the necessary emotional rollercoaster, but the real story is between these men grappling with their differences.

The movie’s title is very appropriate, as David and Benji are constant pains to each other. They quarrel and struggle to relate, but they are intricately tied together. Their relationship shows the pain of loving people even though they break your heart.

Culkin and Eisenberg both play familiar characters. Culkin’s Benji is not far off from his iconic Roman Roy from Succession. If Roman had been working-class, his trajectory might have been similar to Benji’s. This type of obnoxious, immature, yet strangely charismatic character seems tailor-made for Culkin. He does a masterful job of letting Benji’s emotions seep through just enough before pulling back. We walk away, hating that we love him. Eisenberg’s David is incredibly nervy and awkward. Just like Benji, he can be hard to watch, but Eisenberg’s ability to make subtle changes in his acting style makes David sympathetic as well. David is sometimes the audience stand-in. He reflects the isolation, frustration, and self-consciousness that we all feel.

There are other stand-out performances in Benji and David’s tour group. Kurt Egyiawan portrays a devout Jewish convert from Rwanda with stunning strength, and Jennifer Grey gives a very charismatic performance as the recently divorced Marcia. The cast of characters on their tour act as a reflection for the audience to recognize Benji’s and David’s behavior. They vocalize the best and worst parts of both men.

A Real Pain has many flaws. It can be slow, and it seems emotionally stunted at times. However, much of this is on purpose. We are meant to be frustrated by its inability to go as deep as we want. While that makes an infuriating watch, it also creates an authentic portrait of human relationships. There are many things left unsaid. We don’t always say what we mean, and sometimes our relationships are perpetually injured.

It can be nice to think that all rifts can be mended, but A Real Pain reminds us that love is not perfection. Love is coming back even when our rifts cannot be mended.