A Real Pain: Released in 2024, this movie is directed and written by Jesse Eisenberg. It tells the story of two Jewish male adult cousins David and Benji (played by Eisenberg and Culkin) who are making a pilgrimage back to Poland. Their grandmother had recently passed away, and she was from Poland. She had survived the holocaust through “a thousand miracles” according to the boys. She had left a sum of money for the boys to see where she had lived and experience Poland. It is a memorable trip.
In Forrest Gump fashion we meet the Culkin character, Benji, sitting on a chair at the airport, watching the people go by. In contrast there is Eisenberg leaving him an endless succession of voicemails to make sure that they meet up. The boys couldn’t be more different in personality or how their lives are presently situated. Jesse has signed them up for a guided tour through Poland with a small group of other tourists led by a young British man as their guide.
Culkin is getting the acting accolades for his performance. He plays a guy who outwardly is witty and charming. Inwardly and once he gets acclimatized, he can become hurtful and dark. He lives on the edge. He finds ways to be a rebel. In contrast, Jesse plays a married online content seller who has a responsible job, a wife, a child and responsibilities. He is straight laced. He follows the rules, while wishing he was more like his cousin. There is a love/hate dynamic for Jesse. We see this in various scenes. The culmination of the trip is a subdued visit to a concentration camp. And it should be subdued. Thousands have been murdered there. They are desolate, grim reminders of an incomprehensible past and how human beings can treat one another.
I am not an Eisenberg fan. Haven’t been since I watched him play in The Social Network. He is unlikeable and pompous for me with a face that just screams “punch me”. This movie doesn’t change my opinion about him. Culkin will forever be tied to his brilliant role in Succession with the smart assed, quick witted and unreliable Roman Roy. This movie was 1:30 and it kept a quick pace. The pattern of Culkin doing inappropriate things while Jesse quietly looks on and later apologizing for him becomes repetitive. I liked the scenes of Poland. In many ways I wish the film took the Culkin advice to heart given to the tour guide and male there be more interaction with native Poles. Speak with the people. Break bread with them and share stories of grandma and who she was. I think that this could have been more. I do not see this as a Best Supporting Actor Oscar as others had more significant impact on the main character, like a Guy Pierce in The Brutalist. The was average. I am thankful I didn’t pay for this is a theatre. Fun fact: the divorced woman on the tour with the boys is played by Jennifer Grey of Dirty Dancing fame.
Mondays With Robbie 