46/18
David Kaplan: Yeah
Tale
Mismatched cousins reunite for a road trip across Poland in honor of their beloved grandmother. The adventure takes a turn when the odd couple’s old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history. When Benji and David visit their grandmother’s home in Poland, the place is where Jesse Eisenberg’s real-life ancestors settled in the diaspora. Benji Kaplan: We keep moving, we stay light, we stay agile. Benji Kaplan: The conductor’s gonna come by, take the tickets, we tell him we’re going to the bathroom. David Kaplan: Bathroom. Benji Kaplan: He gets to the back of the train, starts heading toward the front looking for stragglers.
Benji Kaplan: Yeah
David Kaplan: Sorry, are we the stragglers? By the time he gets to the front, the train will be in the station and we’ll be home free. David Kaplan: This is so fucking stupid. Tickets are probably about twelve bucks. Benji Kaplan: It’s the beginning of the movie. We shouldn’t have to pay for train tickets in Poland. This is our country.
But Culkin is just plain annoying
David Kaplan: No, it’s not, it was our country. They kicked us out because they thought we were cheap. Featured on CBS News Sunday Morning: Episode #46.44 (2024). (Seen at a preview in Bristol as part of the London Film Festival) I had high hopes for “A Real Pain,” but despite a handful of funny moments and emotional speeches, there are simply too many areas where it misses the mark. The biggest bright spot is Jesse Eisenberg himself. The writer-director anchors the film as bumbling but successful New Yorker David, who invites his cousin Benji (Kieran Culkin) on a trip to Poland to pay tribute to his grandmother and reflect on his personal struggles. Eisenberg is believable and likable, and he’s at the center of the best scenes.
The role would have been much stronger if it had been played straight
It’s a forceful performance, there’s no doubt about that, but his volatility and inability to read a situation means he’s the kind of person you’d try to get away from within minutes of meeting him. It’s hard to believe he becomes the star attraction of the tour group. Will Sharpe is also very weak as the tour guide, putting on an effeminate Yorkshire accent for comic effect – perhaps American ears won’t mind it so much, but these British ears were sorely disappointed. The other cast members have small parts, but Jennifer Grey (yes, THE Jennifer Grey) and Kurt Egyiawan stand out, adding authenticity to their characters. Aside from the variable performances, there’s a general sense that scenes were improvised and worked out as they went along. Situations develop, or are implied to have developed, without any obvious cause or resolution. For a drama to succeed - and at its heart it is a drama - the script and the story development need to have a tension that A Real Pain lacks.
A missed opportunity
Any momentum that is generated is easily dashed - I was looking at my watch after half an hour, and the film feels long despite being less than 90 minutes long. Oh, and there are moments when it feels like a promotion for the Polish tourist board - don't get me wrong, it made me want to visit the country, but I don't think that's the role of a feature film. A Real Pain hints that it has something important to say about pain, but it never finds the right words.
https://jobs.kraan-associates.com/177172/
