Jessie Eisenberg stammers his way through A Real Pain, which he co-stars in with Kiernan Culkin and writes and directs. It’s his typical off-putting acting job.
First cousins David and Benji decide to visit Poland and pay tribute to their Grandma Dory, a Holocaust survivor who recently died. It’s a heritage tour with a guide and several other passengers.
We learn Benji (Culkin) marches to the beat of his own drum in the first scene when they meet at the airport. “I’ve got some good stuff for when we land,” he says.
“You’re not taking marijuana into Poland?” David nervously asks.
At the hotel, a package is awaiting Benji at the friont desk. He wants to to smoke a joint on the roof. During the session, Benji calls David a “lightweight,” then apologizes.
That’s Benji’s style - pick fights and then apologize. He does that to the guide and challenges the others, including Marcia played by Jennifer Grey, as well.
"'A Real Pain' is one long encounter session with the help of a few joints and some historical scenery."
In addition to checking out Grandma’s house, they run around Warsaw and visit Auschwitz, where millions of Jews were exterminated after Germany took over Poland and established concentration camps there during World War II. For those who have never been there, like this reviewer, it’s a powerful reminder of the sins of the past and how the Holocuat should never be forgotten or happen again. Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan), who survived the genoicide in Rwanda, offers a different persepctive on the subject,
That night the cousins smoke another joint on another roof and argue. “You light up a room and then shit on everything inside of it,” David tells him.
Benji clearly needs to medicate but doesn’t always like what he hears. He’s a well-intentioned provocateur.
Eisenberg’s psychiatric tone as director may remind of Woody Allen, though it’s seldom comedic. He likes to dig a little deeper into his characters with smart dialogue.
Culkin's Benji is the wild card, an unfiltered, suicidal free-spirit who says whatever's on his mind. A Real Pain is one long encounter session with the help of a few joints and some historical scenery.
Stoner Movie Credentials
• Eisenberg previously appeared with Kristen Stewart in American Ultra (2015) and Adventureland (2009).
• Culikin, who played Roman Roy in Succession, appeared in Igby Goes Down (2002) with Clare Danes.
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