Eisenberg’s debut, A Real Pain, falls in line with the film school project. The tone of big emotion with the small-scale filmmaking counterbalances to make something cozy and explorative. Thematically, it hits hard on its messaging of the simple act of being present with someone over the need to be helpful. Checking in on people, like Eisenberg does with Culkin in the opening scene. Tonally, the film hits several roadblocks, and the plot beats become stale and a bit repetitive by the end. The big emotional speeches land, but some of the emotional outbursts are overwritten contrivances. Culkin is quite mesmerizing, so off-the-wall in terms of what he’ll say or do. Goofball but completely open with his abject sadness. Eisenberg plays the stoic wooden statue and only has minor additions outside whispering “sorry” to everyone repeatedly. The ensemble cast has small moments of lines but is mostly an afterthought in the journey.
Bland look to the film that relies too heavily on its screenplay that’s neither as funny nor clever as it needs to be to overcome boring compositions. The performance does lift up the production but not enough to make it bulletproof. Eisenberg shows potential in his framing and direction of tone but needs to find a story that elevates the form – less of a stage quality to it, please. Uncomfortable, complicated, grieving wrath of a trip to explore one’s sense of emptiness and where it originates. Heavy themes of grief that have no distinct qualities outside the film’s cousin dynamic. A film that wants to smile through the tears and pretend nothing is wrong but ends up feeling everything in the most destructive way possible. Good character writing with clear motivations and conflict, but a set of characters I found as passe.
Rating: ☆☆☆ (79)
Weird Verdict:
Weird Cinema 