Courtesy TSG Entertainment
Kieran Culkin has proven such a powerhouse actor in the last few years that his appearance in A Real Pain—the directorial debut from Jesse Eisenberg (Zombieland), who also co-stars in the film—practically makes up for any shortcomings in writing and pacing. Practically. A Real Pain is, naturally, -imperfect. And though the writing, also by Eisenberg, stumbles precariously close to high school drama-caliber wordsmithery more than once, what it manages to drive home vis-a-vis -generational trauma, familial politics and, ultimately, love, is universal enough to keep it watchable throughout its runtime.
As much as Eisenberg would surely like you to believe he carries equal weight within the film as Culkin does, it’s really the latter’s film. The pair play cousins Benji and David, two sides of the same coin who come together to visit their Polish grandmother’s home in the old country following her death. That death might not be the only traumatic event in recent family history. Culkin’s Benji is all charisma, though with an unpredictable darkness lurking beneath with which he strikes -sans-warning. Eisenberg’s David is the stereotypical neurotic introvert type. Together they join a tour of Polish sites and cities and concentration camps before making the pilgrimage to grandma’s.
Broadly speaking, A Real Pain is an actor’s film. Culkin parlays the gestalt of his fast-talking Succession character Roman Roy into a more vulnerable if loudmouthed sort of flawed and wounded man-child. He reaches some truly profound moments while he’s at it. Eisenberg, on the other hand, does his Eisenberg thing—which is to say he retreats into his usual high-strung hemming and hawing throughout the journey. At turns, the cousins encounter an aging divorcee, a converted believer and repressed mind-your-manners types, all of whom have something to impart, if only briefly. The back-and-forth between the film’s principal pair feels true and relatable, at least most of the time, and Eisenberg does seem to understand that the things we leave unsaid often ring louder than words.
As a first stab, then, let us consider his directing and writing promising. Casting Culkin was certainly wise, assuming Eisenberg had the power to do so. Together, they have a palpable chemistry—separated...well, one wonders when Culkin will return to the screen in all of his terrible magnetism. A Real Pain is simple, but not simplistic, and Eisenberg at least trusts his audience enough to let the ending remain ambiguous. Oh, how it stings to drift away from those we love, but we must keep trying to make our way back to them.
7
+Culkin is a delight; chemistry between leads
-When does Eisenberg try something new? Writing stumbles in its exposition
A Real Pain
Directed by Eisenberg
With Culkin and Eisenberg
Violet Crown Cinema, R, 90 min.
