A month after Kieran Culkin secured an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in A Real Pain, the comedy flick is now available for streaming on JioHotstar starting today (April 3).
A Real Pain follows the journey of Benji and David, two cousins with polar opposite personalities, who embark on a journey to Poland in honour of their late grandmother’s Polish heritage. Stuck in a tour group of elderly citizens, the trip spirals into a series of mishaps, interwoven with moments of self-discovery. Helmed and penned by Jesse Eisenberg, the Oscar-nominated film stars Eisenberg, Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, and Kurt Egyiawan.
The story hits close to home for Eisenberg, a Jewish thespian, who disclosed in an interview with CBS that he landed on the idea when a pop-up advertisement showed up on his screen just as he was battling writer’s block. “Auschwitz tour (with lunch),” it read, which struck him as odd – a perfect premise for a film.
Speaking to the publication, he said, "I come from a family who survived the war; a lot of, you know, cousins, aunts, and uncles who didn't. And yet, I walk around New York City, like, kind of miserable. Like, I'm not, like, a happy person. I'm not asking for pity or anything; I'm just recognizing objectively, like, I'm not a happy person. And yet, I come from people who survived through miracles.”
A Real Pain was nominated for two Academy Awards, including Best Original Screenplay. The film also bagged two BAFTAs – Eisenberg for Best Original Screenplay and Culkin for Best Supporting Actor – three Critics Choice Award nominations, where it clinched Best Comedy, and four Golden Globe Award nominations.
