'A Real Pain' Review

Jesse Eisenberg returns with his second directorial feature! Starring himself and Kieran Culkin comes A Real Pain. My ratings are as follows:

Plot 8/10
Acting 9/10
Directing 8/10
Writing 8/10
Cinematography 9/10
Soundtrack 8/10
Effects 7/10
Lighting 8/10
Color 8/10
Emotional Impact 10/10

Overall: 83/100

I was fortunate enough to see this film accompanied by an in-person pre-show greeting from Eisenberg & Culkin. The film is based off of Eisenberg's real-life trip to Poland with his wife. In the film we see cousins David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Culkin) who take a trip through Poland to reconnect with their roots and honor the recent passing of their Grandmother. Akin to Neil Simon's Odd Couple, the cousins could not be more different. Tensions arise between the two of them amidst their tour group and a heartwarming story ensues. The acting all-around was fantastic. Eisenberg tends to always do his thing, but behind his Kenneth Lonergan-esc writing and directing, it worked perfectly. Culkin stole the show in my opinion putting on a nuanced performance of a troubled, mid-life, extrovert. I would not be surprised if he grabs an Oscar nom for this one. The movie is quite stunning visually with a lot of stills of beautiful areas of Poland. I'd say the strongest scene for me is when the tour group visits a concentration camp and the movie goes silent. You could hear a pin drop in that theatre. It was an intensely tragic, but somehow beautiful moment in the film and theatre. Connecting with an entire audience of people because of what you're seeing on-screen is a special thing for a film to accomplish. I thoroughly enjoyed this movie and highly recommend it to anyone!

Thanks for Sitting on the Sidelines!

Zeke H. Bennett