A Real Pain
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''A Real Pain'' is a 2024
comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...
film written and directed by
Jesse Eisenberg Jesse Adam Eisenberg ( ; born October 5, 1983) is an American actor, filmmaker, and playwright. Recognized for playing smart but awkward characters in both comedies and dramas, his accolades include a British Academy Film Award and nominati ...
. An
international co-production A co-production is a joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint vent ...
between Poland and the United States, the film stars Eisenberg and
Kieran Culkin Kieran Kyle Culkin (born September 30, 1982) is an American actor. Known for portraying distasteful yet sympathetic characters across stage and screen, List of awards and nominations received by Kieran Culkin, his accolades include an Academy A ...
as mismatched cousins who reunite for a Jewish heritage tour through Poland in honor of their late grandmother, but their old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history. Its supporting cast includes
Will Sharpe William Tomomori Fukuda Sharpe (born 1986) is an English actor, writer, and director. After writing for comedy shows and appearing in the medical drama ''Casualty'' (2009–2010), he made his feature directorial debut with '' Black Pond'' (2011 ...
,
Jennifer Grey Jennifer Grey (born March 26, 1960) is an American actress. She made her acting debut with the film Reckless (1984 film), ''Reckless'' (1984), and had her breakthrough with the teen comedy film ''Ferris Bueller's Day Off'' (1986). She earned wo ...
,
Kurt Egyiawan Kurt Egyiawan is an English theatre and television actor. He is most known for playing various roles in Shakespeare's plays, Shakespearean plays at the Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Globe, including the role of Othello. He is also known for his ...
,
Liza Sadovy Liza Sadovy is a British actress. She is best known for ''Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007 film), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'' (2007), ''Prime Suspect 3'' (1993) and ''Company'' (1996). Other television work ...
, and
Daniel Oreskes Daniel Oreskes is an American actor, known for his roles in ''Law & Order'' and '' Law & Order: Organized Crime''. Oreskes has also appeared in numerous Broadway productions and narrates audiobooks. Oreskes graduated from the University of Penn ...
.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
took place primarily in Poland from May to June 2023. ''A Real Pain'' premiered at the
2024 Sundance Film Festival The 2024 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 18 to 28, 2024. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 6, 2023. Among the highlighted events included the premiere of a documentary about the 1980s rock band Dev ...
, where it won the
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award This is a list of winners of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Awardfor dramatic features at the Sundance Film Festival. History It is an award given each year by U.S. Dramatic jury, starting in 1991. The award is named for screenwriter Waldo Salt, ...
, and was released theatrically in the United States on November 1, 2024, and in Poland on November 8 by
Searchlight Pictures Searchlight Pictures, Inc., formerly known as Fox Searchlight Pictures, is an American arthouse film production and distribution company, which since 2019 is owned by Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Disney Entertainment segment of the ...
. The film received widespread critical acclaim, particularly for Eisenberg's screenplay and Culkin's performance. It grossed $24.9 million worldwide on a $3 million production budget. ''A Real Pain'' received several accolades, including two nominations at the
97th Academy Awards The 97th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During the gala, the AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly r ...
and
78th British Academy Film Awards The 78th British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the British Academy Film Awards, BAFTAs, was a ceremony held on 16 February 2025, honouring films of any nationality that were screened in British cinemas in 2024 in film, 2024. The ...
, and four at the
82nd Golden Globe Awards The 82nd Golden Globe Awards was an annual awards ceremony for excellence in film and American television productions of 2024. The winners were revealed during the live telecast, aired on CBS on January 5, 2025. The event was hosted by comed ...
; Culkin won Best Supporting Actor at each ceremony, while Eisenberg won the
BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay The BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay is a British Academy Film Awards, British Academy Film Award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to a screenwriter for a specific film. The British Academy of ...
. It was named as one of the top ten films of 2024 by the
American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...
and the
National Board of Review The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered the first major harbinger of the film awards season that ...
.


Plot

At
John F. Kennedy International Airport John F. Kennedy International Airport is a major international airport serving New York City and its metropolitan area. JFK Airport is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island, in Queens, New York City, bordering Jamaica Bay. It is ...
, Benji Kaplan waits for his once-close cousin, David, to arrive so they can board their flight. Using the funds left by their late grandmother, the Kaplans plan a Jewish heritage tour through Poland in hopes of seeing the home she grew up in and connecting with their family history. Their contrasting personalities spark several arguments: Benji is a free-spirited and outspoken drifter who criticizes David for losing his former passion and spontaneity, while David is a pragmatic and reserved family man who struggles with Benji's unfiltered outbursts and lack of direction in life. Arriving at
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
, David and Benji meet with their tour group members: Mark and Diane, a retired married couple from
Shaker Heights, Ohio Shaker Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city's population was 29,439. Shaker Heights is an inner-ring streetcar suburb of Cleveland, abutting the eastern edge of the c ...
; Marcia, a recent divorcee from California; and Eloge, a survivor of the
Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, occurred from 7 April to 19 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. Over a span of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Gre ...
who
converted to Judaism Conversion to Judaism ( or ) is the process by which non-Jews adopt the Jewish religion and become members of the Jewish ethnoreligious community. It thus resembles both conversion to other religions and naturalization. "Thus, by convertin ...
. The tour is led by James, a mild-mannered, knowledgeable,
gentile ''Gentile'' () is a word that today usually means someone who is not Jewish. Other groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, have historically used the term ''gentile'' to describe outsiders. More rarely, the term is used as a synony ...
guide from
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
. On the first day, the tour visits the
Monument to the Ghetto Heroes The Monument to the Ghetto Heroes () is a monument in Warsaw, Poland, commemorating the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising of 1943 during the Second World War. It is located in the area which was formerly a part of the Warsaw Ghetto, at the spot where the fir ...
,
Grzybów Square Grzybów Square, Grzybowski Square (, ) is a triangular square in the Śródmieście (downtown) district of Warsaw, Poland, between Twarda, Bagno, Grzybowska and Królewska streets. History 17th to 20th centuries The square's history goes ba ...
, and the
Warsaw Uprising Monument Warsaw Uprising Monument () is a monument in Warsaw, Poland, dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising of 1944. Unveiled in 1989, it was designed by Jacek Budyn and sculpted by Wincenty Kućma. It is located on the southern side of Krasiński Square. ...
. Benji engages the whole group in assisting him in a reenactment of the
Warsaw Uprising The Warsaw Uprising (; ), sometimes referred to as the August Uprising (), or the Battle of Warsaw, was a major World War II operation by the Polish resistance movement in World War II, Polish underground resistance to liberate Warsaw from ...
around the latter sculpture. An embarrassed David stands apart and takes pictures using the members' phones. The group travels to
Lublin Lublin is List of cities and towns in Poland, the ninth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest city of historical Lesser Poland. It is the capital and the centre of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 336,339 (December 2021). Lublin i ...
by train on the second day. Benji is unsettled by the incongruity of traveling first class on a Holocaust tour through former Nazi German-occupied Poland, which results in the cousins missing their stop. After finding their way back, James leads the group through the city's cultural sights, such as the Grodzka Gate and the Old Jewish Cemetery. Benji criticizes James's lack of authenticity during their visit to the cemetery and challenges his focus on facts and statistics. Benji continues to misbehave and make uncomfortable comments during a group dinner later that evening. When he leaves the table, David opens up to the group about the complex nature of their relationship, revealing that the two have drifted apart after Benji attempted suicide by
overdosing A drug overdose (overdose or OD) is the ingestion or application of a drug or other substance in quantities much greater than are recommended. Retrieved on September 20, 2014.
on sleeping pills six months earlier. The next day, David and Benji visit
Majdanek Majdanek (or Lublin) was a Nazi concentration and extermination camp built and operated by the SS on the outskirts of the city of Lublin during the German occupation of Poland in World War II. It had three gas chambers, two wooden gallows, ...
, a Nazi German concentration and
extermination camp Nazi Germany used six extermination camps (), also called death camps (), or killing centers (), in Central Europe, primarily in occupied Poland, during World War II to systematically murder over 2.7 million peoplemostly Jewsin the Holocau ...
, during their last day with the group. They see the gas chamber, the crematorium ovens and a huge pile of the victims' shoes. Deeply affected by what they had just witnessed, the group sits in stunned silence as their van returns to Lublin, with Benji, seated next to David, sobbing. Back at the hotel, the group members bid farewell to each other. James tells Benji that he is the first person on one of his tours to provide him with honest feedback, and thanks him for changing his perspective, although Benji does not seem to remember the outburst. The Kaplans smoke
marijuana Cannabis (), commonly known as marijuana (), weed, pot, and ganja, List of slang names for cannabis, among other names, is a non-chemically uniform psychoactive drug from the ''Cannabis'' plant. Native to Central or South Asia, cannabis has ...
together on a hotel rooftop on their final night in Poland. Benji confronts David about his changed personality and asks why he never visits him. While David initially responds that he is busy with his wife and son, he eventually breaks down and explains that following Benji's suicide attempt, he is unable to bear the thought of a person with Benji's talent, charm and passion for life killing himself. In the morning, the cousins travel to their grandmother's former home in
Krasnystaw Krasnystaw is a town in southeastern Poland with 18,630 inhabitants (31 December 2019). It is the capital of Krasnystaw County in the Lublin Voivodeship. The town is famous for its beer festival called ''Chmielaki'' ( means hops, hop), and for i ...
. Benji recalls a moment when she slapped him after he arrived late and intoxicated to dinner, which gave him a sense of clarity and humility. He laments that she was the only person who was able to keep him disciplined. David suggests that they place
visitation stones The act of placing visitation stones is significant in Jewish bereavement practices. Small stones are placed by people who visit Jewish graves in an act of remembrance or respect for the deceased. The practice is a way of participating in the ...
on the home as an act of remembrance, but a neighbor asks them to remove the stones because they are a tripping hazard. The pair fly back to New York and exchange goodbyes. David invites Benji to his home for dinner and offers to give him a ride, but Benji declines the offer, prompting David to slap him. They immediately reconcile and profess that they care deeply about each other. David returns home to his wife and son, leaving a visitation stone on his doorstep, while Benji returns to his seat at the airport, observing travelers with tears in his eyes.


Cast


Production


Casting

In August 2022, it was announced that
Jesse Eisenberg Jesse Adam Eisenberg ( ; born October 5, 1983) is an American actor, filmmaker, and playwright. Recognized for playing smart but awkward characters in both comedies and dramas, his accolades include a British Academy Film Award and nominati ...
would write, direct, and star in ''A Real Pain'' opposite
Kieran Culkin Kieran Kyle Culkin (born September 30, 1982) is an American actor. Known for portraying distasteful yet sympathetic characters across stage and screen, List of awards and nominations received by Kieran Culkin, his accolades include an Academy A ...
.
Emma Stone Emily Jean "Emma" Stone (born November 6, 1988) is an American actress and film producer. Her accolades include two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, and two Golden Globe Awards. In 2017, she was the world's highest-paid actr ...
,
Dave McCary David Lawrence McCary (born July 2, 1985) is an American comedian, writer, producer and director. From 2013 to 2018, he was a segment director and writer for ''Saturday Night Live.'' He is married to actress Emma Stone, with whom he co-founded ...
and Ali Herting were set to produce for
Fruit Tree A fruit tree is a tree which bears fruit that is consumed or used by animals and humans. All trees that are flowering plants produce fruit, which are the ripened ovaries of flowers containing one or more seeds. In horticultural usage, the te ...
. Eisenberg first offered the role of Benji to
Eric André Eric Samuel André (born April 4, 1983) is an American comedian, actor, television host, writer, producer, and musician. He is best known as the creator, host, and co-writer of the Adult Swim surreal comedy series '' The Eric Andre Show'' (2012â ...
, who turned it down after reading the script and thinking "to go to Poland for six weeks and shoot a movie where we're just babbling about the Holocaust seems like a bummer." Eisenberg was unfamiliar with Culkin's work prior to developing ''A Real Pain'', but decided to then reach out to him based on his essence and his sister's recommendation. He did not send Culkin the first ten pages of the script at first because he thought the role should be given to a
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
actor; Culkin was raised
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
. Eisenberg initially wanted to play Benji, as he possesses some of his characteristics, but the producers suggested that he should not take on an " unhinged" performance while directing at the same time. He admitted to ''
Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...
'' that he had "17,000 thoughts" about casting a non-Jewish actor in a role intended for a Jewish character, "and where I come out is ulkingave me an amazing gift by helping to tell this story that is very personal for my family." Culkin, on the other hand, was hesitant to jump into another "intense" project so soon after wrapping ''Succession''. He tried to back out of ''A Real Pain'' two weeks before filming began, citing his need to not be away from his family as the main reason, but he loved Eisenberg's "beautiful" script and ''When You Finish Saving the World''. Producer Emma Stone convinced him to stay on by pointing out that the entire production would essentially fall apart if he left.


Writing

In November 2017, Eisenberg wrote a
short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...
titled "Mongolia" for the Jewish online magazine '' Tablet''. The story focused on two college friends—one of whom is grounded, while the other is impulsive—who travel to
East Asia East Asia is a geocultural region of Asia. It includes China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan, plus two special administrative regions of China, Hong Kong and Macau. The economies of Economy of China, China, Economy of Ja ...
in search of the "experience of a lifetime", only to find themselves in a yurt on an
ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...
center. Both of the main characters were taken from two plays that Eisenberg wrote and starred in, respectively: ''The Revisionist'' (2013) and ''The Spoils'' (2015). Eisenberg liked the ''
Odd Couple Odd Couple may refer to: Neil Simon play and its adaptations * ''The Odd Couple'' (play), a 1965 stage play by Neil Simon ** ''The Odd Couple'' (film), a 1968 film based on the play *** ''The Odd Couple'' (1970 TV series), a 1970–1975 televis ...
'' dynamic presented in "Mongolia" and wanted to adapt it for the screen, but struggled to finish the script. As he was ready to scrap the project, an
advertisement Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a Product (business), product or Service (economics), service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages, and qualities of int ...
for a tour of the
Auschwitz concentration camp Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...
with complimentary lunch appeared on his computer screen. The image both mortified and delighted Eisenberg, as he felt "it sums up everything I think about being a third-generation survivor, which is: There's no good way to experience this. There's no perfect way to honor and revere the history, because anything you do would be in the context of modern privilege." Eisenberg comes from a
secular Jewish Jewish secularism (Hebrew: יהדות חילונית) refers to secularism in a Jewish context, denoting the definition of Jewish identity with little or no attention given to its religious aspects. The concept of Jewish secularism first arose ...
background and has
Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Polish people, people from Poland or of Polish descent * Polish chicken * Polish brothers (Mark Polish and Michael Polish, born 1970), American twin ...
ancestry. For twenty years, he has struggled with answering the question of how he could reconcile his "modern daily challenges" with his
Ashkenazi Ashkenazi Jews ( ; also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim) form a distinct subgroup of the Jewish diaspora, that Ethnogenesis, emerged in the Holy Roman Empire around the end of the first millennium Common era, CE. They traditionally spe ...
ancestors'
historical trauma Historical trauma or collective trauma refers to the cumulative emotional harm of an individual or generation caused by a traumatic experience or event. According to its advocates, collective trauma evokes a variety of responses, most prominent ...
as
Holocaust victims Nazi Germany discriminated against and persecuted people on the basis of their race or ethnicity (actual or perceived), religious affiliation, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and, where applicable, mental or physical disabilities. Di ...
and
survivors Survivor(s) may refer to: * one who survives Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Survivors, characters in the 1997 KKnD series#Armies, ''KKnD'' video-game series * ''The Survivors'', or the ''New Survivors Foundation'', a fictional ...
. When he started writing ''A Real Pain'' in 2022, which initially began as a
thought experiment A thought experiment is an imaginary scenario that is meant to elucidate or test an argument or theory. It is often an experiment that would be hard, impossible, or unethical to actually perform. It can also be an abstract hypothetical that is ...
, Eisenberg sought to place two modern, mismatched cousins struggling with "different degrees of pain," such as anxiety and depression, against the backdrop of the horrors of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The setting allowed him to explore those themes in a "visually explicit" manner and "implicitly" ask questions in a way that did not feel
didactic Didacticism is a philosophy that emphasises instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design. In art, design, architecture, and landscape, didacticism is a conceptual approach that is driven by the urgent need to explain. ...
.


Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
took place in New York City and various locations across Poland from May to June 2023. Because Eisenberg started writing during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, he used the street view feature on
Google Maps Google Maps is a web mapping platform and consumer application offered by Google. It offers satellite imagery, aerial photography, street maps, 360° interactive panorama, interactive panoramic views of streets (Google Street View, Street View ...
and pictures he took when he traveled to Poland with his wife in 2008 to scout locations and take the tour that the characters were going on. Michał Dymek, the
cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...
, is a native of
Warsaw Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...
and was raised with historical awareness of the events that occurred in his country. His deep knowledge of his hometown helped Eisenberg film montages that would highlight Poland's beauty: Dymek's main artistic idea was to work with perspective, as the film features characters who see themselves differently. He wanted to combine their observations by using standard lenses with longer optics, which flattens the perspective to "play with the fact that sometimes the same image can be defined differently by choosing a different focal lens."


Music

The score for ''A Real Pain'' is almost entirely composed of piano pieces written by the Polish
virtuoso A virtuoso (from Italian ''virtuoso'', or ; Late Latin ''virtuosus''; Latin ''virtus''; 'virtue', 'excellence' or 'skill') is an individual who possesses outstanding talent and technical ability in a particular art or field such as fine arts, ...
Frédéric Chopin Frédéric François Chopin (born Fryderyk Franciszek Chopin; 1 March 181017 October 1849) was a Polish composer and virtuoso pianist of the Romantic period who wrote primarily for Piano solo, solo piano. He has maintained worldwide renown ...
, and performed by Israeli-Canadian classical pianist
Tzvi Erez Tzvi Erez (; born 1967) is an Israeli–Canadian classical pianist and music producer. Early life and education Erez was born in Israel in 1967 and began his piano studies at the age of six. He moved to Canada and graduated from The Royal ...
. Among the featured compositions are Chopin's ballades, études,
nocturnes A nocturne is a musical composition that is inspired by, or evocative of, the night. History The term ''nocturne'' (from French '' nocturne'' "of the night") was first applied to musical pieces in the 18th century, when it indicated an ensembl ...
, preludes, and
waltzes The waltz ( , meaning "to roll or revolve") is a ballroom dance, ballroom and folk dance, in triple (3/4 time, time), performed primarily in closed position. Along with the ländler and allemande, the waltz was sometimes referred to by the ...
.


Release

''A Real Pain'' premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
on January 20, 2024. It also had its European premiere at the
Zurich Film Festival Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) is an annual film festival that has been held in Zürich, Switzerland, since 2005. The festival's main focus is to promote emerging filmmakers from all over the world. In three competition categories only first, secon ...
, and was screened at the American Film Institute Festival, the
BFI London Film Festival The BFI London Film Festival is an annual film festival held in London, England, in collaboration with the British Film Institute. Founded in 1957, the festival runs for two weeks every October. In 2016, the BFI estimated that around 240 fe ...
, the
Haifa International Film Festival The Haifa International Film Festival () is an annual film festival that takes place every autumn (between late September and late October), during the week-long holiday of Sukkot, in Haifa, Israel. History The festival was inaugurated in 1983 an ...
, the
Heartland International Film Festival The Heartland International Film Festival (HIFF) is a high academy qualifying film festival held each October in Indianapolis, Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States ...
, the
La Roche-sur-Yon International Film Festival The La Roche-sur-Yon International Film Festival is a film festival created in 2001. Renewed in 2010, it takes place every year in mid-October in the town of La Roche-sur-Yon in Vendée Vendée () is a department in the Pays de la Loire regio ...
, the
Mar del Plata International Film Festival The Mar del Plata International Film Festival () is an List of film festivals, international film festival that takes place every November in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina. It is the only competitive feature festival recognized by the FIAPF ...
, the
New Orleans Film Festival The New Orleans Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the nonprofit organization New Orleans Film Society, a film society founded in 1989. The festival has been held since the society's inception. The festival takes place in mid-O ...
, the
Newport Beach Film Festival The Newport Beach Film Festival (NBFF) is an annual film festival in Newport Beach, California, typically held in late April. In 2022, it was announced that the festival had permanently changed its date to be held in October, as the festival bega ...
, the
New York Film Festival The New York Film Festival (NYFF) is a film festival held every fall in New York City, presented by Film at Lincoln Center. Founded in 1963 by Richard Roud and Amos Vogel with the support of Lincoln Center president William Schuman, NYFF i ...
, the
Telluride Film Festival The Telluride Film Festival (TFF) is a film festival held annually in Telluride, Colorado, during Labor Day, Labor Day weekend (the first Monday in September). The 51st Telluride Film Festival, 51st edition took place on August 30–September ...
, and the
Valladolid International Film Festival The Valladolid International Film Festival, popularly known as Seminci (short for ; ), is a film festival held annually in Valladolid, Spain. First held in 1956 as ('Valladolid Religious Film Week'), the Seminci is one of the longest-standing fi ...
. Shortly after its Sundance premiere,
Searchlight Pictures Searchlight Pictures, Inc., formerly known as Fox Searchlight Pictures, is an American arthouse film production and distribution company, which since 2019 is owned by Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Disney Entertainment segment of the ...
acquired worldwide rights to the film for $10 million in an all-night auction. It had a
limited theatrical release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few cinemas across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
on November 1, 2024, and began a
wide release In the motion picture industry, a wide release (short for nationwide release) is a film playing at the same time at cinemas in most markets across a country. This is in contrast to the formerly common practice of a roadshow theatrical release in ...
on November 15. The film was previously scheduled to be released on October 18, but was subsequently pushed by two weeks. ''A Real Pain'' premiered in Poland at the
POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews () is a museum on the site of the former Warsaw Ghetto. The Hebrew word ''Polin'' in the museum's English name means either "Poland" or "rest here" and relates to a legend about the arrival of the firs ...
as the opening film of the
Warsaw Jewish Film Festival The Warsaw Jewish Film Festival () is an annual Jewish film festival held in Warsaw, Poland. Organized in 2003 by American film director , it was the first one of this type on Poland, and one of the first and largest in the Eastern Europe. The ma ...
. It was then distributed to theaters in the country on November 8, 2024. The film was released in the United Kingdom and Ireland on January 8, 2025. It was previously scheduled to be released on January 10, but was pushed up by two days.


Home media

''A Real Pain'' was released to digital platforms on December 31, 2024, and became available for streaming on
Hulu Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
in the U.S. on January 16, 2025. It was released by
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Inc. (abbreviated as SPHE) is the home entertainment distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony. Background SPHE is responsible for the distribution of the Sony Pictures libra ...
on
Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
and DVD on February 4.


Reception


Critical response

At its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, ''A Real Pain'' earned rave reviews. Christian Blauvelt, the digital director of '' IndieWire'', surveyed 166 journalists who attended the festival to determine the best competition titles of the season. ''A Real Pain'' dominated every eligible category to a degree "almost no film" had towered in the past six years; close exceptions were
Celine Song Celine Song (born Song Ha-Young; ; born September 19, 1988) is a Canadian director, playwright, and screenwriter based in New York City. Among her plays are ''Endlings'' and ''The Seagull on The Sims 4'' (both 2020). Her directorial film debut, '' ...
's ''
Past Lives Past lives is a reference to reincarnation. Past Lives may also refer to: Music * Past Lives (band), an American post-punk band Albums * ''Past Lives – The Best of the RCA Years'', a compilation by the British musical group Level 42, 2007 ...
'' and
Chloe Domont Chloe Domont (born September 2, 1987) is an American television and film writer and director, best known for her 2023 film directorial debut, '' Fair Play'', an erotic thriller about gender dynamics in the workplace. Early life and education She ...
's '' Fair Play'' (both 2023). ''
The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
''s David Rooney described ''A Real Pain'' as "funny, heartfelt, and moving in equal measure." He praised Eisenberg's "impeccable" judgment and great skill at "balancing sardonic
wit Wit is a form of intelligent humour—the ability to say or write things that are clever and typically funny. Someone witty, also known as a wit, is a person skilled at wit, making spontaneous one-line or single-phrase jokes. Forms of wit incl ...
with piercing solemnity in a movie full of feeling, in which no emotion is unearned."
Owen Gleiberman Owen Gleiberman (born February 24, 1959) is an American film critic who has been chief film critic for '' Variety'' magazine since May 2016, a title he shares with . Previously, Gleiberman wrote for ''Entertainment Weekly'' from 1990 until 2014. ...
for ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' welcomed Eisenberg into a "hallowed company" of actors who turned out to be born filmmakers, such as
Greta Gerwig Greta Celeste Gerwig ( ; born August 4, 1983) is an American actress, screenwriter, and film director. Initially known for working on various mumblecore films, she has since expanded from acting in and co-writing independent films to directing ...
,
Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, two BAFTA Awards, and three Golden Globes. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educatio ...
and
Bradley Cooper Bradley Charles Cooper (born January 5, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award and three Grammy Awards. In addition, he has been nominated for twelve Acade ...
. To Ed Potton of ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British Sunday newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of N ...
,'' the story was "perfectly weighted between bleak and warm, poignant and irreverent." Bill Goodykontz, in a review for ''
The Arizona Republic ''The Arizona Republic'' is an American daily newspaper published in Phoenix. Circulated throughout Arizona, it is the state's largest newspaper. Since 2000, it has been owned by the Gannett newspaper chain. History Early years The newspap ...
'', thought Eisenberg pulled off a
magic trick Magic, which encompasses the subgenres of close-up magic, parlor magic, and stage magic, among others, is a performing art in which audiences are entertained by tricks, effects, or illusions of seemingly impossible feats, using natural me ...
by making a film with "backdrops of pain and despair, both personal and existential, that is also funny, charming and something approaching uplifting." For ''IndieWire'''s annual critics poll, of which 177 critics and journalists from around the world voted, Eisenberg's work placed second on the Best Screenplay list, behind
Sean Baker Sean Baker (born February 26, 1971) is an American filmmaker. He is a director, writer, editor, and producer of Independent film, independent narrative feature films which are most often about the lives of marginalized people, especially immi ...
's script for ''
Anora ''Anora'' is a 2024 American romantic comedy-drama film written, directed, produced, and edited by Sean Baker. It stars Mikey Madison as Anora "Ani" Mikheeva, a stripper from New York who marries the wealthy son of a Russian oligarch played ...
''. Culkin's performance was highly acclaimed.
Ty Burr Ty Burr (born August 17, 1957) is an American film critic, columnist, and author who reviews films for ''The Washington Post'' and writes the film and popular culture newsletter "Ty Burr's Watchlist". Burr worked as a film critic at ''The Boston ...
for ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...
'' wrote that he "walks a line between obnoxiousness and delight; it’s a performance both liberating and touched by a deeper, more inarticulate sadness."
Manohla Dargis Manohla June Dargis ( ) is an American film critic. She is the chief film critic for ''The New York Times''. She is a five-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism. Career Before being a film critic for ''The New York Times'', Dargis ...
, writing for ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', thought Culkin was "shockingly great" and articulated Benji's inner turmoil through a "transparently readable, sometimes viscerally destabilizing" manner. Dargis later ranked ''A Real Pain'' third on her list of the best movies of 2024.
Mick LaSalle Mick LaSalle (born May 7, 1959) is an American film critic and the author of two books on pre-Code Hollywood. Up to March 2008, he had written more than 1,550 reviews for the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' and he has been podcasting them since Sep ...
of the ''
San Francisco Chronicle The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...
'' lauded his "dominating", tour de force performance, writing that Eisenberg invented a new film genre called "the Kieran Culkin movie." Film journalists from ''
Collider A collider is a type of particle accelerator that brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Compared to other particle accelerators in which the moving particles collide with a stationary matter target, collid ...
'', ''The Hollywood Reporter'', ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'', ''
Time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...
'', ''Vulture'', and ''
TheWrap ''TheWrap'' is an American online news organization that covers the business of entertainment and media. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman in 2009 and is based in Los Angeles. The site features original reporting, analysis, and editor ...
'' declared Culkin's performance one of the finest of the year. Filmmakers
Lena Dunham Lena Dunham (; born May 13, 1986) is an American writer, director, actress, and producer. She is the creator, writer, and star of the HBO television series '' Girls'' (2012–2017), for which she received several Emmy Award nominations and two G ...
, Tim Fehlbaum and
William Goldenberg William Goldenberg (born November 2, 1959) is an American film editor and director. He has more than twenty film and television credits since 1992. He won the Academy Award for Best Film Editing for the film ''Argo'' (2012), and has been nominate ...
praised the film.


Accolades

''A Real Pain'' won the
Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award This is a list of winners of the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Awardfor dramatic features at the Sundance Film Festival. History It is an award given each year by U.S. Dramatic jury, starting in 1991. The award is named for screenwriter Waldo Salt, ...
at the
2024 Sundance Film Festival The 2024 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 18 to 28, 2024. The first lineup of competition films was announced on December 6, 2023. Among the highlighted events included the premiere of a documentary about the 1980s rock band Dev ...
. The
American Film Institute The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the History of cinema in the United States, motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private fu ...
and the
National Board of Review The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered the first major harbinger of the film awards season that ...
named it one of the top ten best films of 2024. At the
97th Academy Awards The 97th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 2, 2025, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles. During the gala, the AMPAS presented Academy Awards (commonly r ...
, Culkin won Best Supporting Actor while Eisenberg was nominated for
Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best ...
. Culkin is the first actor since
Christopher Plummer Arthur Christopher Orme Plummer (December 13, 1929 – February 5, 2021) was a Canadian actor. His career spanned seven decades, gaining him recognition for his performances in film, stage and television. His accolades included an Academy Aw ...
(for 2010's ''
Beginners ''Beginners'' is a 2010 American romantic comedy drama film written and directed by Mike Mills. Based on the coming out of Mills' father at the age 75, five years before his death, it tells the story of a man reflecting on the life and death of ...
'') to win in the former category from a film that was not nominated for
Best Picture The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...
. ''A Real Pain'' won both of its nominations at the
78th British Academy Film Awards The 78th British Academy Film Awards, more commonly known as the British Academy Film Awards, BAFTAs, was a ceremony held on 16 February 2025, honouring films of any nationality that were screened in British cinemas in 2024 in film, 2024. The ...
and the 40th Independent Spirit Awards, honoring Eisenberg's script and Culkin's performance. It also won two of its three nominations at the
30th Critics' Choice Awards The 30th Critics' Choice Awards were presented on February 7, 2025, at the Santa Monica Airport#Barker Hangar, Barker Hangar at the Santa Monica Airport in Santa Monica, California, honoring the finest achievements of filmmaking and television ...
: Best Comedy and Best Supporting Actor. The film also received four nominations at the
82nd Golden Globe Awards The 82nd Golden Globe Awards was an annual awards ceremony for excellence in film and American television productions of 2024. The winners were revealed during the live telecast, aired on CBS on January 5, 2025. The event was hosted by comed ...
, including Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, and won Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture for Culkin. Eisenberg won
Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best ...
at the
29th Satellite Awards The 29th Satellite Awards is an award ceremony honoring the year's outstanding performers, films and television shows, presented by the International Press Academy. The nominations were announced on December 16, 2024. The winners were announced ...
, while Culkin earned a nomination at the 34th Gotham Awards.


Legacy

In March 2025, Eisenberg was granted
Polish citizenship Polish nationality law is based primarily on the principle of jus sanguinis. Children born to at least one Polish parent acquire Polish citizenship irrespective of place of birth. Besides other things, Polish citizenship entitles the person to ...
by
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...
Andrzej Duda Andrzej Sebastian Duda (born 16 May 1972) is a Polish lawyer and politician who has served as the sixth president of Poland since 2015. Before becoming president, he served as a Member of the Sejm from 2011 to 2014 and before becoming Member of ...
, following the success of the film. Eisenberg described the citizenship as "an honor of a lifetime and something I have been very interested in for two decades."


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Real Pain, A 2020s American films 2020s buddy comedy-drama films 2020s English-language films 2020s road comedy-drama films 2024 comedy-drama films 2024 independent films American buddy comedy-drama films American coming-of-age comedy-drama films American independent films American road comedy-drama films English-language buddy comedy-drama films English-language independent films English-language Polish films English-language road comedy-drama films Films about cousins Films about dysfunctional families Films about grief Films about Jews and Judaism Films about mental disorders Films about suicide Films about the aftermath of the Holocaust Films about tourism Films directed by Jesse Eisenberg Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Academy Award–winning performance Films featuring a Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe winning performance Films produced by Emma Stone Films set in Lublin Films set in New York City Films set in Warsaw Films shot in New York City Films shot in Poland Films whose writer won the Best Original Screenplay BAFTA Award Polish comedy-drama films Polish independent films Satellite Award–winning films Searchlight Pictures films Sundance Film Festival award–winning films Topic Studios films