“A Real Pain” is headed to Hulu, just one week before 2025 Oscar nominations are announced.
The movie premiered at the 2024 edition of the Sundance Film Festival and has since racked up accolades including the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at Sundance. It was named a top 10 film of the year by both the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute, and Kieran Culkin became the third actor ever to win Best Supporting Actor honors from all of the “big four” critics associations (the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, NBR, the National Society of Film Critics, and the New York Film Critics Circle).
Things are looking good for “A Real Pain” heading into Oscar nominations morning on January 23.
Jesse Eisenberg wrote, directed, produced, and starred in the film opposite Culkin, who also won a Golden Globe for his work on the film. It was among the 12 films nominated in the Best Motion Picture categories at the Globes, too, and Eisenberg picked up nods for his lead performance in the film and the screenplay.
The Post’s entertainment critic Johnny Oleksinski called the film “one of the best movies of [2024]’s [Sundance] fest so far,” and, touching on Culkin’s performance, wrote “Culkin gives viewers the pull-the-fire-alarm quality they love about his untethered personality on “Succession” or during award show speeches in which he muses on his ear hairs. Removed of Machiavellian motives, this would appear to just be him.”
“A Real Pain” Hulu release date:
“A Real Pain” was released on Hulu today, January 16.
How to watch “A Real Pain” for free:
“A Real Pain” is streaming on Hulu. If you’re not already a Hulu subscriber, you’re in luck, because the streamer has one of the best free trials around. New users will get a 30-day free trial to test out everything the Hulu (with ads) plan has to offer before the $9.99/month payment starts. That gives you plenty of time to watch “A Real Pain” and so much more.
“A Real Pain” trailer: What is “A Real Pain” about?
“A Real Pain” follows cousins David (Eisenberg) and Benji (Culkin) as they embark on a guided Holocaust tour of Poland to honor their beloved late grandmother, visit her childhood home, and connect with their Polish heritage. It’s a reunion of sorts for the cousins, who were close as children but drifted as life took them in different directions. David is reserved and robotic, a family man with a steady job, while Benji is brash, overly honest, and directionless, especially after Grandma Dory’s death.
Don’t be fooled by the title, though: “A Real Pain” is as much a laugh-out-loud buddy comedy as it is a film that’ll practically punch you in the face with raw emotion and plenty of sobering moments throughout the Kaplans’ tour.
“A Real Pain” cast:
- Jesse Eisenberg as David Kaplan
- Kieran Culkin as Benjamin “Benji” Kaplan
- Will Sharpe as James
- Jennifer Grey as Marcia
- Kurt Egyiawan as Eloge
- Liza Sadovy as Diane
- Daniel Oreskes as Mark
- Ellora Torchia as Priya
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This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Writer/Reporter for Post Wanted Shopping and New York Post’s streaming property, Decider. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, and information on how to watch your favorite sports teams, TV shows, and movies on each streaming service. Not only does Angela test and compare the streaming services she writes about to ensure readers are getting the best prices, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech, sports, and pop culture. Prior to joining Decider and New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews
