A Real Pain is about two Jewish cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) who reunite to tour Poland to honour their grandmother who has died.
David is reserved and uptight and Benji is the opposite which makes them a tricky pair of travel companions and that underpins the film. Benji is battling some demons and Culkin plays it just beautifully. Eisenberg is also good but with his character the infinitely less fun of the two, he has a little less to work with. (Eisenberg is also the director of the film.) For much of the trip they travel in a tour group with others and one of the actors is Jennifer Grey who Dirty Dancing fans will know as ‘Baby’ Houseman - a blast from the past!
A Real Pain isn’t always an easy watch and the pain of the characters - Benji especially - is quite affecting but I really enjoyed this film and would definitely recommend it. It’s part drama, part comedy and the balance is well-struck. Wisely, it runs just 90 minutes showing a discipline I really respect and that seems rare in film-making these days!
A Real Pain opens on 26 December and is rated MA15+. Trailer here.