A Real Pain (2024) Review

THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.

It is real hard to get through grief but when you do it with the family you have left, it could be a little easier.


PLOT


A Real Pain follows Benji Kaplan meet up with his cousin David who go to Poland together for a Jewish heritage tour, wanting to connect with their family history, using funds from their late grandmother Dory. Early into the trip do their personalities clash as Benji is free spirited and calls out David for letting go of spontaneity after becoming a family man, trading it with pragmatism. At Warsaw do they meet the tour guide James (Will Sharpe) and other tour group members as followed: the retired couple of Mark & Diane (Daniel Oreskes & Liza Sadovy), recently divorced Marcia (Jennifer Grey) and Rwandan genocide survivor Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan). Their first stop would be Gryzbow Square where Benji engages with everyone to reenact the Warsaw Uprising upon seeing the titular monument, whereas David takes pictures for everyone. They then go to Lublin by train, but they miss their stop when David goes to sleep and Benji doesn’t wake them up. When catching up with the group, they visit cultural sights like Grodzka Gate and the Old Jewish Cemetery. During this portion of the trip however does Benji call out Jamie’s lack of authenticity as a guide and misbehaves during a group dinner. When briefly leaving the table, David explains that the trip was intended to reconnect with him due to a recent overdose attempt six months prior. The following day, the group visits Majdanek and take a moment of silence viewing a concentration and extermination camp. Upon returning to Lublin do the cousins part ways with the group to see their grandma’s foster home in Krasnystaw. As they say goodbye, James actually thanks Benji for giving him honest feedback which he doesn’t even remember. The night before, Benji gets high on marijuana with David above the hotel’s balcony where they have their first heart to heart in a while. He’d tell him that being a family man has changed him so much that he hardly sees him, whereas his cousin responds that he’s incapable of bearing to know someone as charming as him would want to kill himself after his overdose. When finding the foster home the next day do they try leaving remembrance stones, but local neighbors request not to due to a tripping hazard. Upon flying back to New York does Benji reminisce how their grandma once slapped him which gave him a sense of humility after coming home drunk and when he declines a ride from David does his slap him, resulting in them to immediately reconcile. Upon returning home to his wife and son does David leave a remembrance stone on his doorstep, while the film ends with Benji in tears as he sits at the airport observing other travelers. 


THOUGHTS


For 8.5 years, my grandmother and I had not seen a movie together in theaters due to getting caught up in our personal lives. Eventually, the time was right to finally do again what made us so close. We had no idea Jesse Eisenberg would write/direct this picture he was starring in, but we were hooked from start to finish. It was very easy to identify it as a comedy due to how appropriate of a dynamic duo he was with Kieran Culkin until the whole story unravels as the following 90 minutes play out. At first you can’t help laughing due to how different these two are as Eisenberg is relatable being constantly anxious when things don’t go as planned, while it’s easy to fall for Culkin’s charm as Benji. Midway however, you realize how complicated their relationship once a tough secret comes out. Knowing that’s the reason of the trip does bring the story full circle how important it is to find a connection to your past that strengthens you while accepting common imperfection that happens to everyone. David is in a state of mind where he knows he’s flawed, but mostly accepts it because he still has a decent life that’s made him happy. Benji can’t see life like that because losing the one person that gave him guidance crippled him, knowing no one else can give them that and he doesn’t know how to inspire himself to keep going. I would be sad too if I lost my grandma, as she means a lot to me too, which is why I can relate to how troubled he expresses throughout the trip. As much as you respect the rest of the tour group not really judging him since it’s not their place and they know people grief differently, but David is still a real one in the end because the trip is meant to remind him he still cares for him even if he doesn’t see him everyday. And even though the slap is hilarious for the spontaneity he misses being that final nod of recognition he’s not alone, the end just hits you like a truck when he starts crying. I feel that way because Benji realizes the burden he’s been to his family, still directionless and stuck in the past making the trip almost pointless. I still say almost because of the reminder his cousin still loves him, but knowing the stress he’s caused everyone is what now troubles him and again he doesn’t know what to do without his grandma’s motivation. Seeing Culkin capture that fear and heartbreak in the end is what earned his dominance during awards season including the Supporting Actor Oscar. Whatever step Benji does next, we can only hope it is done with all the possible caution he’s capable of otherwise he’d be back to square one. And if it goes sour, I wouldn’t doubt David still trying to save him however he knows. In short, A Real Pain is a fantastic film from 2024 for knowing exactly how to warm your heart while also pulling its strings in a relatable manner. If those are the kind of films you prefer, see this now.

If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.