Review: A Real Pain

13 February, 2025 William Eguizabal 0 Comments 2 categories

Title: A Real Pain
MPA Rating: R
Director: Jesse Eisenberg
Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Jennifer Grey
Runtime: 1 hr 30 mins

What It Is: David (Eisenberg) and his troubled cousin Benji (Culkin) were once as close as brothers. After a period of estrangement, they reunite to honor their recently deceased grandmother. Their journey takes them to her childhood home in Germany—a place she fled during the Holocaust. While they are determined to connect with their family’s past, it is their own uncertain futures that may leave an even greater impact.

What We Think: What Jesse Eisenberg has done here is vastly superior to his previous (and debut) directorial feature. When You Finish Saving the World never felt authentic—but A Real Pain lives up to its title because it is as real as it gets. The pain, the love—everything is so raw that you feel like you’re taking part in this soul-cleansing journey with the two cousins.

Eisenberg’s acting might actually outshine his script, and that’s saying something because the script is probably going to win an Oscar. Even still, he’s overshadowed by the goliath supporting performance of Kieran Culkin. He’s incredible—there’s so much he’s doing that isn’t on the page, and while you could argue that detracts from the script, I don’t think it does.

For me, this is one of 2024’s best films.

Our Grade: A+, Such a phenomenal picture—a film that truly feels like reality. In a story like this, the relationship between two people can make or break everything. Thankfully, Eisenberg and Culkin have amazing chemistry that grips us from start to finish. This might contain my favorite minute of film from the entire year. I cannot recommend this highly enough. It is an incredibly satisfying experience and a film well worth your time.