“A Real Pain” (2024)
Kieran Culkin is absolutely mesmerizing in “A Real Pain.”
He co-stars with writer-director Jesse Eisenberg in the film as cousins who go on a pilgrimage to Poland to honor their late grandmother.
David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Culkin) are just a few months apart in age, so they grew up like brothers, which comes through in their relationship and their ability to go from being insanely mad with each other to sharing a loving hug hours later.
This core relationship, anchored by a career-best performance from Culkin, make “A Real Pain” a breeze to watch, even though it does involve some heavy subject matter. (The heavy subject matter includes the Holocaust and mentions of suicide, just FYI.)
I did not watch “Succession,” so I’ve only seen Culkin in smaller roles since the days of “Igby Goes Down” and “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.” Let’s just say he has come a long way since the days of “Home Alone” and “Father of the Bride.”
Culkin and Eisenberg are surrounded by a strong supporting cast, most notably Jennifer Grey (“Dirty Dancing”), Will Sharpe (“The White Lotus“) and Kurt Egyiawan (“The Exorcist” TV series), who play characters in their tour group in Poland.
On the other hand, nothing stood out to me about Eisenberg as an actor in this film. It felt very similar to the rest of the performances he’s done throughout his career.
But I did find his story and direction to be captivating, so I look forward to seeing more work from him behind the camera.
If you’re looking for a moving family dramedy this fall, I highly recommend checking out “A Real Pain.”