'A Real Pain' - Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin are Cousins on a Road Trip to Poland in Anxious Comedy Film

Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain (Searchlight Pictures)

A Real Pain official trailer and release date — Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain (Searchlight Pictures)

Marking the second feature film from actor turned director Jesse Eisenberg, ‘A Real Pain’ is a comedy/drama film led by Eisenberg himself and Kieran Culkin (Succession, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World). The film follows the pair as they embark on a holocaust tour in Poland to honor to honor their grandmother.

‘A Real Pain’ had its world premiere at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival where it won the U.S. Dramatic Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award. The film is set to screen at the New York Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival, and BFI London Film Festival in the upcoming months.

Starring in the movie alongside Eisenberg and Culkin are Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy, Daniel Oreskes, and Ellora Torchia.

Release Date

Directed by Jesse Eisenberg, ‘A Real Pain’ opens in select US theaters on November 1, 2024.

Synopsis

Mismatched cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) reunite for a tour through Poland to honor their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the odd-couple’s old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.

“I had been thinking a lot about how it’s possible to reconcile feeling bad for yourself and your little problems when you come from, two generations back, global trauma.” Said Eisenberg on his inspiration of the film in an interview with Hollywood Reporter. “The other aspect was I really wanted to make a movie in Poland.”

Reviews

Bilge Ebiri in a Vulture review praised the film, describing it as “A touching character study anchored by a lively Kieran Culkin performance, Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain moves gently and smoothly but hints at an all-consuming darkness underneath.”

Brian Tallerico in a RogerEbert.com review also praised the film and Culkin’s performance, writing, “Eisenberg’s rich script for “A Real Pain” is the kind of nuanced character study that I could talk about for hours, but the main draw of this film is going to be the phenomenal performance from Kieran Culkin.”