Hearing the title “A Real Pain,” you can’t help but imagine a multi-camera sitcom or, perhaps, a disposable laugher starring Adam Sandler.
In reality, this second directorial feature from Jesse Eisenberg — who also wrote and co-stars in the film, which is in theaters this week — is a thoughtful study of two characters dealing with sadness and depression in their own ways.
At 90 minutes it is only so ambitious, but Eisenberg accomplishes what he sets out to do with the dramedy, aided by strong work by his co-star, Kieran Culkin.
Eisenberg’s David and Culkin’s Benji are cousins who decide to travel from New York to Poland to tour Holocaust sites and see the onetime home of their late beloved grandmother and Holocaust survivor, Dori. Once like brothers, the men have drifted apart, Big Apple resident David marrying and having a son, Benji living alone in Binghamton.
While trying to get to the airport in plenty of time for their international flight, a frantic David calls Benji repeatedly, leaving messages even after saying he’s left his last one, only to find a relaxed Benji has been at the airport for hours. (Benji says he likes to come early to meet interesting people, our first hint that something isn’t quite right with the lad.)
That they’re very different men, at least at this point, is evident immediately, with the reserved David on edge around his cousin, who from the time at the airport through the flight and into their first night in a hotel talks about how happy he is that David has chosen to do this with him. At the hotel, Benji pays him an unusual compliment — “Dude, I forgot: You have really nice feet” — and twists his arm into smoking some of the marijuana he’s had mailed to the hotel on its roof.
The next day, they meet their knowledgable, affable and enthusiastic tour guide, James (Will Sharpe, “The White Lotus”), and the other members of the group: the recently divorced Marsha (Jennifer Grey, “Dirty Dancing); Shaker Heights couple Diane (Lisa Sadovy, “A Small Light”) and Mark (David Oreskes, “Only Murders in the Building”); and Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan, “House of the Dragon”), who converted to Judaism after surviving genocide in Rwanda. Benji’s reaction to Eloge’s tale (“Oh, snap!”) is the group’s first taste of the behavior David dreads.
Benji’s antics only increase from there, including a meltdown on a train as the group rides in first class, which he finds very distasteful given the nature of their tour.
In his screenplay, Eisenberg tiptoes to the line of overreaching with Benji, penning a character too outlandish to be believed. However, he balances the bombast with other moments, quieter moments, that ring true and provide more insight as to what’s going on inside that head of Benji’s.
Through his writing and performance, Eisenberg also peels away the layers of David. During a particularly strong scene at a restaurant — after Benji has another outburst and then leaves for the restroom — David reveals to the others his complex feelings toward Benji and shares something he probably shouldn’t about his troubled cousin.
No psychiatric terms are thrown around when it comes to Benji, but this is a person who experiences wild mood swings. He’s hurting inside, which he expresses in various ways, including anger, yes, but also sweetness and even empathy.
Again, this is all enhanced by acting choices made by Culkin, who certainly channels aspects of Roman Roy, the memorable character he portrayed over the four seasons of the HBO hit “Succession. However, there’s more to Benji than there is to Roman.
“A Real Pain” is the child of two Eisenberg projects: a play he wrote and performed in, “The Revisionist,” which debuted off-Broadway in 2013 and also starred Vanessa Redgrave; and a short story about two men, sharing a similar dynamic to that of David and Benji’s, touring Mongolia. He struggled to adapt either over the years, according to the production notes for “A Real Pain,” which ultimately led to this largely satisfying film.
It’s hard to shake this nagging feeling that “A Real Pain” could have been something more had Eisenberg fleshed out the film’s supporting characters, especially Eloge. That said, that they exist almost solely to serve as a means for us to better understand David and Benji is an understandable choice.
It is a moment late in “A Real Pain,” shared between James and Benji as the cousins are leaving the group to go on to the grandmother’s onetime home, that crystalizes what Eisenberg has managed to pull off with the film.
It is his follow-up to 2022’s “When You Finish Saving the World,” and we’re interested to see what he delivers the next time he sits in the director’s chair.
‘A Real Pain’
Where: Theaters.
When: Nov. 15.
Rated: R for language throughout and some drug use.
Runtime: 1 hour, 30 minutes.
Stars (of four): 3.
Originally Published: