A Real Pain

Directed by Jesse Eisenberg, A Real Pain follows cousins David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) as they travel to Poland to visit the childhood home of their recently-deceased grandmother – with the narrative detailing the odd couple’s continuing exploits during said journey. It’s a bare bones premise that’s employed to mostly engrossing (and sporadically profound) effect by Eisenberg, as the filmmaker, armed with his own screenplay, delivers a perpetually engaging road-trip/character-study picture that boasts, at its core, two completely captivating performances – with, especially, Culkin offering up an often mesmerizing turn as a figure that’s as annoying as he is affable. And while the unabashedly episodic structure does result in a small handful of lulls, A Real Pain, which runs a refreshingly brisk 90 minutes, progresses through a midsection and half littered with memorable, moving sequences – including a showstopping moment wherein David gets emotional talking about his family and his relationship with Benji. (And this is to say nothing of the protagonists’ heartrending trip to a WWII concentration camp.) By the time the note-perfect final scene rolls around, A Real Pain has confirmed its place as a first-class piece of work that certainly bodes well for Eisenberg’s future endeavors behind the camera.

***1/2 out of ****