Watching the award bait so you don’t have to? Outposter Mhatt is potentially taking your pain away in a series of short articles as we now start our headlong rush through awards season. Here he is with A Real Pain.
Oscar Watcher
Ever wondered if Jesse Eisenberg has any talent whatsoever?
Will Angelina Jolie ever see another podium?
Who the hell is this Anora person or does The Brutalist have anything to do with bare-knuckle boxing?
I can answer these questions and more in Oscar Watcher where I will offer as short as possible reviews of as many of the movies that will be contending for this year’s Academy Awards.
This is in the hope that you can make informed decisions on whether or not they are worth two hours of your valuable time.
A Real Pain.
Writer/Director/Star Jesse Eisenberg and Kieren Culkin are estranged cousins.
After the death of their grandmother, make a pilgrimage to Poland to retrace and reconnect with their family history via a guided tour of Poland focusing on World War II and Jewish culture.
David (Eisenberg) is a pragmatic family man who sees the journey for what it is, a chance to pay respects to his family and culture. He acknowledges that he is far removed from their experience and sees it a physical journey more than an emotional one.
Benji (Culkin) is an emotionally fragile burnout who perceives pain from a personal perspective. He is resentful of those who don’t appreciate how it connects them to historical experiences.
He finds the trip to be a contradiction of experiences, as they enjoy a far more luxurious ride along the same routes their relatives and countryfolk took.
This puts the cousins at odds with each other and within the group, as the more charming Benji is pitied while the more logical David is treated with indifference.
This offers a good insight into exactly why they may have grown apart.
Benji is juvenile yet relatable, but that doesn’t make him likable, as he is real choosy on when he lets his emotional awareness kick in. When pressed on his selfish behaviour, he collapses, garners pity and forgiveness and the cycle ostensibly repeats.
Overall, A Real Pain is a solidly constructed film, but it’s not a very entertaining movie.
Some good points are made about how we process our personal share of pain and what effects the responsibility to burden the historical pain of something like the Holocaust has on our modern existence.
Some family dynamics are explored as the cousins who grew up together, then apart due to life choices, still envy the other for qualities they lack, while both are equally proud and protective of their current lives.
Despite it taking place primarily in Poland, including a real live concentration camp (apparently the first film to have such access), we only meet one Polish-speaking character and the cinematography is dull.
I’ve seen better jobs done on hotel welcoming channels in Niagara Falls. I am not sure exactly what the goal here was besides a timely reminder of the tumultuous Jewish experience.
To paraphrase a noble IMDB reviewer:
“With a little bit of CGI this could have been shot in Wichita.”
What You Should or Shouldn’t Watch For
The Screenplay: Tight but boring. It’s been nominated for a bunch of awards, including a Golden Globe, so it has strong potential to be nominated for Original Screenplay.
The Acting: Eisenberg is Eisenberg. Kieren Culkin is serviceable but nothing extraordinary. He’s been nominated and won a bunch of awards, including a Golden Globe. Potential Oscar nominee for Best Supporting Actor.
A Real Pain is only recommended viewing for award awareness, people who love Poland, those who enjoy seeing people more boring and selfish than themselves on screen, any fans of Will Sharpe as a stodgy tour guide or seeing Jennifer Grey playing a morose divorcee.