A Real Pain is a comedy from Searchlight Pictures staring Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg as they tour Poland after a death in the family.
Searchlight Pictures has shared their latest film with us, A Real Pain, for the purpose of our viewing and reviewing. As with every film review we have done, our opinions are not for sale but we will be more than happy to watch the film and share our honest thoughts on it. I figure we should remind folks of our process every once in a while.
A Real Pain is the story of two cousins that had drifted apart and with the passing of their grandmother are reunited for a trip through Poland to see where their Jewish ancestors came from and what all they endured along the way. The film is listed as both a Comedy and Drama in Vudu and I feel they are only half right. Sure there are some amusing lines and moments but this film is not a comedy in any way. Either that or I have a very different definition of “comedy”. I had only seen a single trailer for the film and didn’t know much about what to expect. The only expectations that I had were that our two leads, Culkin and Eisenberg, were an odd pairing that deliver great performances. With that pairing one other thing was clear, at some point things are going to be said that can’t be unsaid. I can confirm that both expectations were met.
The writing is fantastic as was the portrayals by the cast. Culkin should honestly be nominated for his role. The pain his character feels and shows in everything he does and says is done so well that you want to see if he will be okay. The journey through the film leaves you caring about him, more than his cousin who carries his own pain but comes off more sanctimonious about it. By the end of the journey their relationship is stronger for it but leaves you wondering, what happens next? The film was well done, start to finish. Not my usual style of film but if you’re looking for a well written tale of overcoming grief and facing your demons you won’t go wrong with this one.