Kieran Culkin makes ‘A Real Pain’ a Pleasure
When Twisters was released, the entire internet went gaga for Glen Powell, calling him the most charismatic actor in the world, but those people might change their tunes upon seeing Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain.
Jesse Eisenberg writes, directs, and stars in this story of two cousins on a tour in Poland to pay homage to their late grandmother. David (Eisenberg) is a successful family man who overthinks everything and has always been a little jealous of Benji (Culkin), who possesses a natural charm that makes him loveable despite some of his more abrasive behaviors. David is buttoned up, Benji wears his heart on his sleeve, David is a planner, Benji is spontaneous, David observes life and Benji lives life, but all that emotional vibrance can also lead to instability and Benji often masks his darkness.
Their tour group, led by tour guide James (Will Sharpe), visits landmarks from early Polish history through WWII, which parallels how we deal with our own history and trauma. Each of the tourists experiences these things differently.
Older couple Mark and Dianne (Daniel Oreskes and Liza Sadovy) seem to experience the journey with the distance of history. Divorcee Marcia (Jennifer Grey) tries to balance the vacation vibes with the emotional impact. Recent Jewish convert Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan) connects to history through his own experience of genocide in his country. All of them navigate the emotions of this trip in different ways and become participants, sometimes unwillingly, in Benji’s emotional journey.
There isn’t a weak link in the cast, but there’s no doubt that Culkin steals the show. Benji is tremendously engaging and appealing while simultaneously being selfish, irritating, and obnoxious. He has a rare kind of charm where you love him despite his many flaws because you know he has a good heart. Walking that line between being annoying and incredibly loveable is a difficult task for any actor, but Culkin pulls it off flawlessly.
A Real Pain is a smaller film that is more about exploring characters and their relationships with each other than plot points. The journey is less important than the company you keep along the way. If you’re looking for a film that lets you bask in the glory of an actor delivering a phenomenal performance, Culkin has you covered here.
