A Real Pain (2024)- BFI London Film Festival 2024

Review

90min

Genre:       Comedy, Drama

Director:     Jesse Eisenberg

Cast:         Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Jennifer Grey…and more

Writers:     Jesse Eisenberg

-Synopsis-

Two estranged and very different American cousins come together on a trip to Poland to honour their grandmother’s origins and re-connect with their Jewish roots, only to get on each other’s last nerve and realise why they grew apart in the first place, whilst letting frustrations off their chests and laying the groundwork for emotional reunion, as star Jesse Eisenberg takes on multiple additional duties behind the camera for this witty and heartfelt contemporary road dramedy.

Eisenberg himself stars as family and career man ‘David Kaplan’, a high-strung, strait-laced and slightly neurotic New Yorker who embarks on a voyage with his once close but now estranged cousin ‘Benji Kaplan’ (Kieran Culkin), an impulsive and directionless, crass and blunt yet charming and lovable mess who’s the polar opposite of his cousin—as they form an odd couple in Poland on a tour of the sombre mid-20^th century Jewish experience in Europe, and connect to the origins of their recently dear departed grandmother. But as they join and bond with fellow tour goers on this European Jewish pilgrimage—such as middle aged divorcee ‘Marcia’ (Jennifer Grey), Rwandan convert ‘Eloge’ (Kurt Egyiawan), and the tour’s bookish British guide ‘James’ (Will Sharpe)—the Kaplans begin to once again drift apart over the differences in their personalities and world view, but are brought back together by their Polish misadventures and a shared empathy over personal trauma and a cultural family history of tragedy.

Having carved out an impressive career playing smart, fast-talking neurotic and anxious characters often associated by Hollywood and showbiz with Jewishness—often by Jews themselves—and after transitioning behind the camera in 2022 with his directorial debut ‘When You Finish Saving the World’, writer/director/producer Jesse Eisenberg returns as both filmmaker and star, pulling quadruple duty and digging into his own roots to weave a delightfully droll yet touching and wistful odd couple road dramedy meditation on personal pain and legacy trauma.

Stuffed with heart while featuring more than a little well-placed mishegoss and chutzpah—thanks largely to the exploits of Culkin’s character Benji—‘A Real Pain’ follows a well-established tradition of odd couple and fish-out-of-water comedies, and despite writer Eisenberg rooting it in a modern context the humour retains a sort of timeless and even self-aware quality. It also flows seamlessly and deliberately over its short ninety minute runtime, yet takes its time when the narrative shifts towards poignancy and pathos, often turning from comedy to drama on a dime yet never feeling forced, as the film establishes its credentials as an unconventional group travel therapy session.

In a decision which underlines Eisenberg’s already honed filmmaking instincts just two films into his feature directorial career, the tone in ‘A Real Pain’ is expertly set by the musical choices he makes, opting for a highly melodic piano-led soundtrack of almost exclusively classical concertos—most of which are by the great Frédéric Chopin which is rather fitting for this Polish odyssey—ranging from playful and uplifting to mournful and melancholy, adding several levels of atmosphere and emotional content.

That tone meanwhile is adeptly balanced and fluctuates naturally between the light and the heavy with assuredness, at times simultaneously occupying the same space. As both writer and co-star, Eisenberg leans on his on-screen experience to deliver sharp quirky observational comedy and hilariously awkward interactions, plus blunt forthright dialogue and even some humour found in the emotional frailty and vulnerability of the characters.

But while Eisenberg essentially plays the straight man and the more grounded strait-laced backbone of the piece as David, albeit with his own emotional baggage, Kieran Culkin is left to hold up more than his share of both comedy and drama as the chaotic and irresistible heart of the show Benji. A flaky and opinionated, free-spirited and directionless figure with no filter seemingly stuck in arrested development, yet also a charming and lovable mess who lights up every room and every group he joins, but is just as likely to dump his emotional trauma baggage and turn on them. The type of person whom in real life might prove infuriating and likely rub people the wrong way, but through the distance and filter of the big screen proves highly empathetic and impossible to take your eyes from, thanks largely to a stellar career-defining performance from the now most prominent member of the Culkin acting clan.

By the time it gets to its cathartic but non-cliched conclusion, ‘A Real Pain’ has joyfully solidified the audience’s bond with the Kaplans and all their foibles, while leaving a lingering sense of melancholy which is truer to real life than most Hollywood dramedy. With Eisenberg skilfully wrapping up a very personal Jewish reflection on a tragic cultural legacy but also a captivating study on personal trauma and the complexities of human connection, leaving us with plenty of hope for a promising career to be forged behind the camera by him.

The Bottom Line…

A contemporary take on classic odd couple comedy, a fish-out-of-water contemplative road movie, and a quirky cinematic group travel therapy session, ‘A Real Pain’ combines these and more to deliver a personal and culturally specific yet universally relatable character dramedy packed with heart, anxiety, poignancy, and the dramatic farce of everyday life—triumphantly underlining Jesse Eisenberg’s transition from accomplished idiosyncratic modern screen star to fully-fledged filmmaker.

‘A Real Pain’ is out in US cinemas on the 1st of November, and on the 10th of January 2025 in the UK.

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