A Real Pain

Finding ourselves, particularly the process of finding what we’ve lost about ourselves, can be an eye-opening, enlightening but sometimes-painful ordeal, especially if we’re unclear about where to look. For many of us, though, this is a challenge we often attempt to resolve by examining our past, specifically that of our family and its legacy, in hopes that it provides the answers we seek. Such is the quest embarked...

Written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain sees two cousins reunite after a long period. David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) were raised together and were around each other so much growing up that they were brothers. They meet up in the present day for a Poland Holocaust tour that culminates with them visiting the house that once belonged to their grandmother. David and Benji are at two different st...

Good little buddy trip flick. Funny bits. Characters. Stupid tourists making life miserable for locals. Better acting than the mighty Megalopolis. Very clever title.

"Grandma Dory" has passed away and left her two grandsons some money so that they can take a trip to Poland and see where she grew up amidst the Nazi invasion and subsequent holocaust. These two are cousins. "David" (Jesse Eisenberg) is a bit of a shy, geeky, type who lives in New York with his wife and child. "Banji" (Kieran Culkin) is quite the opposite. A free spirited, thinking and speaking individual who cares l...

'A Real Pain' is a real solid watch. It makes up for its no-frills with plenty of heart and a meaningful buddy road trip. It's described as a comedy-drama and it is, though I'd say it's more the latter than the former; albeit with a still sizeable dose of comedy, it is amusing. Kieran Culkin is the reason for the aforementioned, he is the star of this particular show and is funny throughout - though when he has to pl...

Summary: 7/10: a film with real strengths in performance and tone, undermined somewhat by its inability to fully commit to its central relationship. Jesse Eisenberg's directorial effort is an interesting film, though not a brilliant one. Two cousins, David and Benji, embark on a Holocaust tour through Poland to honor their grandmother's memory, and what follows is a study in contrasts: David's anxious restraint again...