21/13

Mismatched cousins reunite for a tour through Poland to honor 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 location is where Jesse Eisenberg's real-life ancestors settled in diaspora.. Benji Kaplan: We stay moving, we stay light, we stay agile.David Kaplan: Yeah.Benji Kaplan: The conductor’s gonna come through, taking tickets, we tell him we’re going to the bathroom.David Kaplan: Bathroom.Benji Kaplan: He gets to the back of the train, he starts heading towards the front looking for stragglers.David Kaplan: Sorry, we’re the stragglers?Benji Kaplan: Yeah. By the time he gets to the front, the train’s gonna be in the station and we’re home free.David Kaplan: This is so fucking stupid. Tickets are probably like twelve bucks.Benji Kaplan: It’s the principle of the thing.

Featured in CBS News Sunday Morning: Episode #4644 (2024)

We shouldn’t have to pay for train tickets in Poland. This is our country.David Kaplan: No, it’s not, it was our country. They kicked us out ’cause they thought we were cheap.. 12 Etudes, Op. 25, No.

3 in F majorWritten by Frederic ChopinPerformed by Tzvi Erez

I've always enjoyed watching Jesse Eisenberg's performances. He usually adds a wiry nervousness and some smart fast dialogue to the roles he has. He has now won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival for the newly released A REAL PAIN. Eisenberg produced, wrote, and directed this "dramady" of a relationship study between estranged cousins David (Jesse Eisenberg) and Benji (Kieran Culkin). David is a high-strung billboard ad creator with a wife and kid.

It's clear they're both going through something, as is everybody in this

Benji is a sensitive, very emotionally aware person who is grieving the loss of his grandmother, who he was very close to. They go on a trip to Poland together, tagging along with a Jewish history tour group, which obviously brings up various and difficult feelings. This is a beautiful movie with fully developed characters that actually evolve as it goes on. The screenplay is nicely paced with a perfect blend of emotional beats and comedy. This is actually Eisenberg's second movie he's written and directed, the first being WHEN YOU FINISH SAVING THE WORLD, which is now on my list to see.

Saying that, I can't overlook Eisenberg's performance

As I had watched SUCCESSION, I knew Kieran Culkin was amazing, and he's even better in this. In some ways it's harder playing an understated role, which he is great at. The movie is about generational trauma, different kinds of pain, and the human condition. I hope A REAL PAIN is talked about during the awards season!. From Alien: Romulus to Road House, take a look back at some of our favorite posters of 2024.