No Real Pain, No Real Gain (CREDIT: Searchlight Pictures)

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy, Daniel Oreskes

Director: Jesse Eisenberg

Running Time: 90 Minutes

Rating: R

Release Date: November 1, 2024 (Theaters)

Before I saw A Real Pain, I read and listened to what other people who had seen it thought about it. (That’s the sort of thing that happens when you’re a big fan of movies and you like to be a part of the conversation.) Some people expressed how they tend to be bothered by extremely neurotic folks like David (Jesse Eisenberg), whereas others expressed how they tend to be bothered by unpredictable wild cards like David’s cousin Benji (Kieran Culkin). Meanwhile, I’m like, “They’re both driving me batty!” Or they would, if I were interacting with them in real life. But instead, I’m watching their movie and declaring, “This is beautiful.” That’s the Power of Cinema!

Grade: Not Painful at All, Instead It Felt Like an Emotional Massage