“A Real Pain” is the kind of movie that really sneaks up on you.

Jesse Eisenberg’s simple tale of two cousins taking a trip through Poland is full of surprises and some profound observations about grief, mental health and family bonds. It features one of the year’s best performances (Kieran Culkin) and establishes Eisenberg (who not only co-stars, but served as the film’s writer and director) as a skilled film maker.

It’s a film that packs a powerful little punch in its brisk 90-minute run time.

Eisenberg and Culkin play David and Benji, cousins who were at one time very close but have drifted apart. David is more grounded, married with a child, while Benji is still a bit on a man child, unfiltered and a bit unpredictable.

David and Benji decide to reconnect on a trip through Poland to honor their Jewish heritage and their recently deceased grandmother.

Like many road trip films, this journey unlocks old wounds and allows the characters to grow, but what Eisenberg’s script does is to find a way to these obvious end points in some unexpected ways. “A Real Pain” is a film that is very personal, not just for Eisenberg but for the audience. It’s easy to see a bit of your own life as you watch this story unfold.

Culkin is an absolutely dynamic as Benji, bringing this character to fruition in such an honest and frank way that makes him one of the most realistically complex characters we’ve seen in any film in 2024. He’s funny and charming, but also a bit abrasive – someone who clearly has a lot of pain behind that fierce facade.

Eisenberg’s performance is the perfect balance to Culkin’s work, making David as much of a fully realized character as Benji.

“A Real Pain” could have easily skated by on just the strong work of the two leads, but where the script really soars is its willingness to flesh out the supporting cast – the half dozen or so people who join these two on the tour through Poland (this group includes Jennifer Grey, which is a fun surprise). In a lesser film, these characters would just be broad caricatures, but in “A Real Pain,” they are fleshed out more and much more relatable – important pieces to David and Benji’s soul-searching journey.

This is Eisenberg’s second film as a director and writer (his previous film the little seen “When You Finish Saving the World”) released in 2022. “A Real Pain” establishes Eisenberg as a filmmaker to watch, one of the best films of 2024 to date.

If You Go
“A Real Pain”
Starring: Kieran Culkin, Jesse Eisenberg
Directed by: Jesse Eisenberg
Rating: R for language throughout and some drug use
Playing at: Regal Bowling Green Stadium 12
Grade: A