A REAL PAIN (2024) review

written by: Jesse Eisenberg
produced by: Ewa Puszczyńska, Jennifer Semler, Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone
Ali Herting & Dave McCary
directed by: Jesse Eisenberg
rated: R (for language throughout and some drug use)
runtime: 90 min.
U.S. release date: November 1, 2024

“A Real Pain” is the second film written and directed by actor Jesse Eisenberg after his directorial debut at Sundance in 2022 with “When You Finish Saving the World” backed by A24. That film revolved around a contentious relationship between a mother and her teen son, and for his latest, Eisenberg focuses once again on family. This time, Eisenberg (working with Searchlight Pictures) casts himself as one of a pair of cousins who reconnect on a tour of modern-day Poland in honor of their recently deceased grandmother, who lived there before the Holocaust. With the pair being opposites, there are funny and awkward moments in an overall reflective journey that comes across as quite authentic, vulnerable, and personal.

That’s probably because the impetus for “A Real Pain” came from Eisenberg’s own experiences. In 2013, he wrote and starred in an off-Broadway play called “The Revisionist,” about a young American visiting his elderly Jewish cousin in Poland. It was inspired by a trip he and his now-wife took to the city of Kransnystaw (southeastern Poland), where his great-aunt lived until she had to flee from the Nazis. Not long after, Eisenberg wrote a short story about two guys vacationing in Mongolia, which languished until he came across an online ad that read “Holocaust tours (with lunch),” which provided the hook he was looking for. Tie all those experiences together, and you have the framework for “A Real Pain.”

David Kaplan (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji Kaplan (Keiran Culkin) are close-in-age cousins who grew up like brothers, but now, as adults, they’re not as close. That happens when life happens. David lives with his wife and their young son in New York City, where he sells online ads. Benji is single and is not permanently employed, living about three hours away from David. After being somewhat estranged in their relationship, they are now getting together for a week-long trip to Poland to trace their Jewish heritage in homage to their late grandmother.

Right away, there are indications of how different the two are. David is socially awkward and self-conscious, managing his OCD and anxiety with medication and exercise. Benji is a charming free spirit, comfortable in his own skin, albeit prone to passionate outbursts or visibly agitated states. He often challenges what he sees around him with unsolicited thoughts and perspectives. These differences will become more obvious on their trip, causing frustration and embarrassment for David as he has to deal with Benji’s unpredictable nature.

Upon arriving in Poland, the cousins connect with the tour group they will remain with for most of the week until they leave early to visit their grandmother’s former house near Lubin. Their small group consists of Jewish tourists, such as an older couple, Mark (Daniel Orekses) and Diane (Liza Sadovy), middle-aged Brooklyn divorcee, Marica (Jennifer Grey, a delight to see), and Rwandan convert Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan) all led by knowledgeable British guide, James (a wonderful Will Sharpe), and they become something of a de factor family as they share their reasons for being on this trip.

Much to David’s chagrin, it doesn’t take long for everyone in the group to get a taste of who Benji is. While David goes along with the tour, which stops at a war memorial, a significant cemetery, and the Majdanek concentration camp (near Lubin), Benji, with his outgoing and impulsive nature, often persuades others to step out of their comfort zone, blurting out unsolicited criticisms of the tour, and prone to impromptu oversharing. As their week progresses, David and Benji struggle to connect, both experiencing mutual exasperation. David often tiptoes around Benji, careful not to trigger an outburst, while Benji misses the David he used to know, someone who was less reserved than he is now.

“A Real Pain” may seem heavy, but Eisenberg and his editor, Robert Nassau, maintain an infectious tone that is warm and reflective throughout. It helps that Eisenberg has given himself and Culkin complicated characters to embody and written the supporting characters as real people instead of comic relief or antagonists. It also helps that it balances humor and grief exceptionally. In addition, the film’s pacing knows precisely where to place the emotional tides of the two cousins during its economic runtime, with heightened scenes never overstaying. Eisenberg also sprinkles musical accents from Polish composer Chopin throughout the film, often during contemplative moments where he and his character admire the surroundings. These are compelling ways in which viewers are pulled in, providing an undeniable absorption that makes “A Real Pain” such a moving and refreshing experience.

While the film’s heart undeniably belongs to Culkin and his exceptional performance (you can count on him getting a nomination for Best Supporting Actor and likely winning) as the complicated Benji, it’s impossible to discount Eisenberg’s work as David. He’s often seen feeling overshadowed by Benji’s larger-than-life presence and either admiring his cousin’s ability to light up a room or feeling smaller by his presence.

David’s apex comes during dinner on the last night the tour group is together. Benji has excused himself after one of his contrarian eruptions, this time involving their grandmother, whom he was closer to. David is left with his bottled-up feelings that are gradually expressed to the rest of the group as the weight of the trip comes to a head, “I want to kill him,” he says through tears, “and I want to be him.” It’s such a vulnerable and relatable statement, something we likely have felt about a relative of our own at some point. For anyone who’s felt that Eisenberg often plays the same character, this standout scene will prove them wrong.

Without a doubt, “A Real Pain” will likely be remembered for Culkin’s excellent work, and that’s by Eisenberg’s design since the film opens and ends on Benji. Still, the writer/director’s performance is also quite outstanding here. The way both actors work off each other comes across as effortless and naturalistic. Whether their characters sit quietly together, admire each other, or argue, they come across as genuine, believable people.

As “A Real Pain” unfolds, it explores the duality of the title while deftly balancing moments of character awkwardness and complexity and Poland’s past and present. Culkin may have the showier part, and while he conveys what seems like bipolar highs and lows for Benji, the actor lands some nuance where it’s needed. Eisenberg’s David is as much an observer and witness as we are on this trip, understandably communicating fear and worry for his cousin. “A Real Pain” winds up being a pretty special film, offering a look at two troubled relatives coming to an understanding of themselves, their history, and the world they live in while quite possibly leaving them in a better place.

RATING: ****