The Brilliant And The Flawed: A Real Pain Review

Meghan Boucher ‘27 / Emertainment Monthly Staff Writer

A Real Pain tells the story of two cousins, Benji (Kieran Culkin) and David (Jesse Eisenberg) as they embark on a journey across their late grandmother’s birth country of Poland. Written and directed by Eisenberg, the movie takes an emotional spin on the buddy-buddy road trip story. While some comedic parts shine through, largely thanks to Culkin, the emotional tension of the film is the true heartbeat.

Benji, a carefree character struggling with his own turmoil, and David, an anxious, by-the-book guy perfectly balance each other’s extremes. As they travel through Poland in a small tour group they learn more about their grandmother’s past during the Holocaust and subsequently learn more about each other’s present realities. 

At first, Benji’s outgoing personality is mesmerizing and David’s awkwardness is endearing, but as the film goes on they both show a truer side of themselves. Benji flips from being magnetic to being abrasive. His bluntness is admirable, but it’s clear that it drives a wedge between he and David. 

Although the movie is the brainchild of Eisenberg, Culkin’s performance as the charismatic but explosive Benji is the most memorable part. Truly no one else could have played this character as intimately as he did. Culkin made the audience sympathize with Benji in his vulnerable moments, feel annoyed at his worst, and rejoice in his unashamed demeanor. While this could also be attributed to Eisenberg’s writing, Culkin makes Benji feel like someone we all know; a deeply frustrating but loveable family member or friend. 

As for Eisenberg, his performance is run of the mill as to be expected from the actor. Shy, a bit socially awkward, and nervous is what Eisenberg is really good at portraying. A bit boring and repetitive after a while, but not unwatchable. One scene that stands out in particular, however, is when the tour group is enjoying a meal together. Perhaps one of the most compelling scenes in the movie and one of the best acted as well, we finally learn more about Benji’s past, which explains his actions. Eisenberg delivers a profound monologue; a rare instance that shows off his acting chops. But this climax seems to come a little too soon. 

One of the main goals of their trip is to go see where their grandmother lived before the war. Eventually, David and Benji make their way there, but it comes after such a dramatic and heartfelt scene in the restaurant that the emotional peak plateaus a little. There are some comedic elements throughout the scene that diminish its potential to be emotionally resonant. The moment comes and goes and before the audience knows it the movie is pretty much over.  

As the credits roll, the audience is left thinking Wait, that’s it? With a 90-minute runtime, and a family history to unpack a lot is going on, but the ending, which laughably takes place in an airport, fails to land the plane. There were a lot of ups and downs that pulled the audience along for the ride, but nothing seemed to be resolved. David and Benji are both fantastically characterized and deeply imperfect, but their lack of growth leaves a lack of closure.

Although the ending is disappointing there are still some truly profound moments in this film. Exploring something as tragic as the Holocaust while unpacking a family drama is no easy feat, but Eisenberg navigated it with sensitivity. Some of the most compelling moments of the film are the silences and the intimate looks of Poland as a country. There is some truly beautiful cinematography, it’s just a shame that these moments are lost because of a lackluster ending. 

And yet, the film still raises questions about how we deal with guilt and loss and why we drift away from the people who mean the most to us. What A Real Pain does is show life. In its honest, truest form. It reminds the audience that not all relationships feel perfectly whole and that’s okay. Sure the ending might be a bit dissatisfying, but not every chapter of life is always perfectly wrapped up in a bow. While Real Pain does not have the perfect resolution, it shows a painful, true, and raw reality and is a journey worth embarking on.