Jesse Eisenberg’s sophomore directorial effort, A Real Pain, was anything but out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival. Not only did it earn Eisenberg the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award but it was also up for the Grand Jury Prize, a remarkable achievement considering he’s so fresh to that particular field. Now, ahead of the film’s fall release, Searchlight Pictures has released the official trailer.

As per Searchlight, A Real Pain has the following plot: “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.” OK, that might seem fairly heavy, but there is still some comedy – albeit plenty of it dark – to be found in the movie, marked through the chemistry between Eisenberg and Culkin.

On this matter, Eisenberg said, “I became interested in that topic and thinking about the privilege versus trauma and how people like me walk around feeling bad for themselves over petty things when I actually know for a fact that my family suffered existential trauma, and just trying to reconcile how to think about that. So I’ve been thinking about it and writing stuff around this topic for a long time. And then the movie came.”

Outside of Eisenberg, A Real Pain is garnering praise for co-star Culkin, landing his first major role since HBO’s Succession – which earned him an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor and a pair of nominations in the supporting category – went off the air last year. The supporting cast features Will Sharpe and Jennifer Grey.

A Real Pain is Jesse Eisenberg’s first directorial work since 2022’s When You Finish Saving the World, which our own Chris Bumbray gave a 7/10 out of that year’s Sundance Film Festival. But more to the point, you can read his 9/10 review of A Real Pain, a movie he ultimately named as one of the best of this year’s fest.

A Real Pain arrives in theaters on November 1st.

What did you think of the trailer for A Real Pain? What are your thoughts on Jesse Eisenberg as a director so far?

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Entertainment Weekly continues its preview of fall releases, and it has recently looked at the upcoming acclaimed Jesse Eisenberg film A Real Pain. The film is directed by Eisenberg and stars him and Succession star Kieran Culkin. The plot synopsis reads, “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.” Their family history involves their grandmother’s survival of the Holocaust.

While the plot elements of A Real Pain are heavy, Eisenberg and Culkin talk about how they were able to make a dark comedy from the subject matter. Eisenberg would proclaim, “I became interested in that topic and thinking about the privilege versus trauma and how people like me walk around feeling bad for themselves over petty things when I actually know for a fact that my family suffered existential trauma, and just trying to reconcile how to think about that. So I’ve been thinking about it and writing stuff around this topic for a long time. And then the movie came. I also have a certain taste in World War II movies about Jews, and I guess this movie was also staking a claim on what the tone could be…that you can have an irreverent tone of a movie while still maintaining reverence for the subject.”

The writer-director-star also stated that his ace up his sleeve with finding the balance of the tone was Culkin’s casting. He explained, “The movie really lives or dies on that character. It’s funny, when I was going through actors and Kieran was immediately recommended to me, my first thought was, ‘Wait, does he do comedy or drama?’ And that for me is the answer — that this person can be so funny, but you don’t know them as a comic…. That’s what Kieran brought to it; it’s exactly the tone that I wanted. It can swing from lowbrow comedy to highbrow philosophical discussions in the same scene. Kieran just naturally is able to do that because he’s super smart and he’s super funny, but he has so much feeling inside.”

Culkin admits he was curious about Eisenberg wearing so many hats for this film, “I thought he wrote a brilliant script — I didn’t know he was a great writer. I like him as an actor. So [I thought,] let’s see how he is as a director.” He added later, “A lot of times, for better or for worse, you end up with a director that’s completely in charge of every tiny little aspect of things — which has its upsides and downsides sometimes, depending on the personality — and then there’s also the directors [who make you question,] ‘Who the hell’s in charge here?’” Culkin says dryly, “He wasn’t either of those. He found the balance between the two.” 

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PLOT: Estranged cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin) join a holocaust tour in Poland to fulfill the dying request of their late grandmother.

REVIEW: A Real Pain is Jesse Eisenberg’s second film as a director and marks a substantial leap in quality since his pleasant – but minor – first effort, When You Finish Saving the World. With a tight running time, evocative location shooting, and two terrific performances at its heart, it’s no wonder this scored one of Sundance’s biggest deals, with Searchlight shelling out a cool $10 million for it.

At its heart, the film is a character study, allowing Jesse Eisenberg’s David and Kieran Culkin’s Benji to spar over eighty minutes without making their holiday too earth-shattering an event, with characters ending the film just as broken (or not) as the movie began. It’s one of the few films I’ve seen in recent memory to get the vibe of a holiday just right, as when you end a trip – no matter how intense the journey has been – there’s a moment when you arrive back home and realize that you’re the same person you were when you left. This can either be a reassuring feeling or a melancholy one. 

Despite being formerly close cousins, David and Benji are a mismatched pair. While outwardly neurotic, Eisenberg’s David is far more content in his life, having a loving family and a stable job to go home to. By contrast, Culkin’s Benji is out of sorts, with his bluster and outgoing vibe masking a deep melancholy no one trip will solve. Religiously, they’re also different, with David being more laissez-faire about his Judaism and only agreeing to the trip because he knows it would be a nice thing to do for his cousin. 

Both men give terrific performances. Eisenberg specializes in playing neurotic types, and he casts himself to perfection. But, he also subverts the stereotype that someone neurotic is always miserable, with him the opposite. He hits many subtle grace notes here, such as the grin on his face when he watches videos of his toddler on his phone while his cousin is asleep.

In contrast, Culkin’s Benji has the charisma David lacks, but it comes at a cost. He’s a wanderer, someone who’s never content with his lot in life, and one who lashes out passive aggressively at whoever is closest to him, be it David or the group’s non-Jewish, English tour guide, played by The White Lotus star Will Sharpe. Culkin has been long overdue for some recognition, and it’s nice to see him getting roles outside of Succession that prove what a first-class actor he is. 

Notably, the film was shot on location in Poland and shines an uncomfortable light on the country’s Holocaust history, with one striking sequence illustrating how close the concentration camps were to the city. In most movies dealing with the Holocaust, we only see the concentration camps as removed, almost otherworldly hellscapes. A Real Pain takes the same approach as The Zone of Interest, showing that the most inhumane crimes against humanity happened in plain site of all. 

Yet, while A Real Pain could have been a depressing history lesson, Eisenberg keeps the vibe somewhat light as the two cousins riff and get to know each other again. The rest of the holocaust tour is nicely filled out, with Dirty Dancing star Jennifer Grey as a recent divorcee rediscovering her roots. Kurt Egyiawan is terrific as a Rwandan convert who found a kinship with the faith as a survivor of genocide in his own home country and the virtue of his family immediately being embraced by the Jewish community in Winnipeg. 

For one, one of the impressive things about A Real Pain is how Eisenberg doesn’t seem to be overreaching with his narrative. He’s not trying to break your heart or rivet you. He’s simply showing you an intelligent, empathetic slice of life that says a lot without needing to say much at all. I wouldn’t be surprised if this film turns into a nice little hit for Searchlight, with both Culkin and Eisenberg delivering superb performances. 

Sundance

AMAZING

9

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Kieran Culkin follows up his run on the popular HBO series Succession with a new dramedy from Jesse Eisenberg. Eisenberg writes and directs A Real Pain, which has been collecting a bevy of accolades. In the Sundance review from our own Chris Bumbray, he glows about the film, saying, “A Real Pain is Jesse Eisenberg’s second film as a director and marks a substantial leap in quality since his pleasant – but minor – first effort, When You Finish Saving the World. With a tight running time, evocative location shooting, and two terrific performances at its heart, it’s no wonder this scored one of Sundance’s biggest deals, with Searchlight shelling out a cool $10 million for it.”

Searchlight Pictures has now released the teaser trailer for the odd couple film. The plot synopsis reads,
“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.”

The cast of the movie includes Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy and Daniel Oreskes.

In addition to being one of the co-leads, Eisenberg also writes and directs A Real Pain. The film is produced by Dave McCary, Ali Herting, Emma Stone, Jennifer Semler and Ewa Puszczyńska. The movie also comes from Searchlight Pictures, which is formerly 20th Century Fox’s indie label, Fox Searchlight Pictures. However, under the Disney banner, Searchlight Pictures have predominantly been released as streaming originals on their Hulu platform.

A Real Pain will have the opportunity to screen in theaters, and you can catch it when it releases later this year on October 18.

The post A Real Pain trailer takes you on a manic trip around Poland appeared first on JoBlo.

A Real Pain, the new film starring Jesse Eisenberg and Kieran Culkin, has unveiled a new first-look image as well as announced its release date. In the Sundance review from our own Chris Bumbray, he glows about the film, saying, “A Real Pain is Jesse Eisenberg’s second film as a director and marks a substantial leap in quality since his pleasant – but minor – first effort, When You Finish Saving the World. With a tight running time, evocative location shooting, and two terrific performances at its heart, it’s no wonder this scored one of Sundance’s biggest deals, with Searchlight shelling out a cool $10 million for it.”

The plot synopsis reads,
“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.”

The cast of the movie includes Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy and Daniel Oreskes.

In addition to being one of the co-leads, Eisenberg also writes and directs A Real Pain. The film is produced by Dave McCary, Ali Herting, Emma Stone, Jennifer Semler and Ewa Puszczyńska. The movie also comes from Searchlight Pictures, which is formerly 20th Century Fox’s indie label, Fox Searchlight Pictures. However, under the Disney banner, Searchlight Pictures have predominantly been released as streaming originals on their Hulu platform.

Searchlight Pictures has also released a new behind-the-scenes photo featuring Eisenberg directing his actors, which you can check out below. A Real Pain will have the opportunity to screen in theaters, and you can catch it when it releases later this year on October 18.

The post A Real Pain: Jesse Eisenberg’s new film releases a new behind-the-scenes photo and announces a release date appeared first on JoBlo.