A Real Pain (2024, R)

Although this film had been in the Best Picture conversation, it didn’t wind up getting that nod. But even though it only got a couple nominations, I really loved it and am still thinking about it. A fascinating story about family, grief, and connection.

What’s It About?

After the death of their grandmother, American cousins David and Benji travel to Poland to see where she was born. They join a tour group exploring the country’s history, where anxious, careful David is quick to apologize for the brash, unvarnished Benji. As the two cousins navigate their family’s past, they also reckon with their own loving but tumultuous relationship.

Who’s in It?

Jesse Eisenberg (who also wrote and directed the film) plays David, while Kieran Culkin plays Benji. Both actors are extremely well suited for their roles, but even if their performances bear some similarity with past roles of theirs, they’re both so compelling to watch here. Their interactions with one another and within the tour group are just fascinating—they’re by turns hilarious and heartbreaking, sometimes in the course of a single scene.

What’s It Nominated For? 

A Real Pain was nominated for two Oscars:

·        Best Supporting Actor – Kieran Culkin

·        Best Original Screenplay

What Do I Love About It?

·        “Odd couple” dynamics are very easy to do, and while this might at first seem like a boilerplate odd couple—uptight/responsible David vs. slobby/impulsive Benji—neither character is just one thing. Benji is highly “inappropriate,” with no social filter, and he frequently says offensive or hurtful things, but he’s also deeply emotional, really cares about people, and values the truth over polite bullshit. David wants to do everything right and keep everyone comfortable, but he frequently finds himself on the edge of the group, not sure how to fit in, and he often hurries to apologize for Benji in situations where it’s not actually necessary.

·        Both cousins annoy or anger each other at times, and both of them are very capable of hurting each other. But they love each other too, deeply, even if neither can fully care for the other in the way they need. They’re such different people, and on some level, each understands the other better than they understand themselves. But they both get it wrong in certain critical moments, while coming through in others.

·        I like how mental health and neurodivergence is incorporated into the film. David has OCD, and while we’re never given a diagnosis for Benji, it seems clear that he’s going through something that’s exacerbating all the other difficult stuff in his life—he fell apart after their grandmother died, he’s struggled with self-harming behaviors, and he’s living in his mom’s basement (in contrast to David’s good job, marriage, and young child.) Personally, I read Benji with borderline personality disorder, but like I said, the film never specifically names what’s going on in his head.

·        Even though the two cousins are very much the headline of the story, all the characters in the film are nicely drawn and well-performed. I’ve never been on this sort of tour before, but I’m willing to bet money that everyone in the group is a very specific type commonly seen in tour groups like that, right down to the non-Polish, non-Jewish guide.

Warnings

Strong thematic elements (including discussions of genocide and suicide,) disturbing images (including a tour of a concentration camp,) language, and drinking/drug use.

Y tu Luna también: Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004, PG-13)

*Note: the original Dirty Dancing is in a particular category of classics that came a little before my time that I’ve just never gotten around to. As such, I have no idea how this movie compares to the original, other than a bit of Googling to confirm some similarities in the setup of the central romance.*

I’ve been aware of this movie for a while—not just from Diego Luna’s IMDb page, but from the way he seems to actively despair when it comes up in interviews. He’s definitely embarrassed by this film and would prefer not to talk about it. So, I didn’t really know what I was getting into here. But while it’s not a good film, I’ve certainly seen much worse in service of an IMDb deep dive. As a guilty-pleasure type movie, I can understand why people would enjoy it.

In 1958, Katey Miller moves from the U.S. to Havana with her family. Her father has work there, and they make their new home at an upscale hotel for wealthy Americans. Some of the other teens in her new social circle think Katey is a square, perpetually focused on her studies and preparing for college. Little do they know, she’s secretly teamed up with Javier Suarez, a boy on the hotel staff, to enter a prestigious dance contest.

The first surprise I got watching this movie came at the very start, when I realized Katey was played by Romola Garai! I remember I first saw her in Rory O’Shea was Here, and I’ve since really enjoyed her in The Hour and the Emma miniseries that she starred in. I had no idea that she’d starred in this. There are a few other familiar faces in the cast, including John Slattery and Sela Ward as Katey’s parents and a nice cameo from Patrick Swayze.

Look, pretty much every dance-based teen romance featuring a rich kid and a poor kid follows a lot of similar beats. Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights shares plenty of DNA with Save the Last Dance, Step Up, and other movies from that genre. Katey is initially kind and polite to Javier when her peers are snobby and racist. She has her eyes opened when he shows her a little of the “real” Havana. When they team up for the dance contest, it’s imperative that they keep their partnership a secret from Katey’s family and classmates. She dances very technically while he dances with passion—when Javier balks at the idea of entering a ballroom contest, Katey points out, “It’s Latin ballroom. If we mix what you do with what I do, I really think we’d have something.” It’s every bit the sort of movie you think it is, with a little political history thrown in for good measure.

As Javier, Luna gets the job done. He’s handsome and has a good spark with Garai, challenging Katey and being challenged in return. I don’t know enough about this type of dancing to really assess their performances—I assume most of the other dancers in the movie are pros, while Luna and Garai aren’t, which always makes these types of movies beggar belief a little bit. But to my untrained eye, neither is noticeably lacking, and their big third act dance number is a highlight of the film.

Again, the story is trite and sort of hokey, and that extends to the characters. I’ll be honest, neither Luna nor Garai are able to overcome some of the duller dialogue. While Luna was already a veteran actor at this point, this film was only a few years out from Y tu mamá también, and it looks like this was probably his film leading role in English. Garai, meanwhile, only had about five years of acting under her belt, and doing a lead role with an American accent was likely a challenge. There are definitely scenes where both of them feel a little stilted in their line deliveries.

But for all that, I still kind of enjoyed the film, and my enjoyment is largely down to their performances. As unpolished as they are, there’s something compelling about both Luna and Garai here. They have good chemistry and play off each other well. Early in the movie, there’s a pair of scenes where each briefly watches the other dance unnoticed, and each scene nicely reveals a little about Katey and Javier, in both their dancing and their unseen observations of one another. Watching Javier trying to teach Katey the rudiments of Cuban dancing is fun. He shows her how to move her hips, urging, “Come on, a circle….” As she tries to imitate him, he flatly points out, “That’s a box.” And I like the scene where he explains the origins of Cuban dancing to her, taking it back to its roots and showing her the spirit behind it.

And this is a little thing, but both Luna and Garai have really open, earnest smiles. It’s something I’ve noticed and about both of them in other projects, and it serves them well here. Especially as they dance together, Katey and Javier’s smiles project so much honest joy, and it’s easy to get swept up in that feeling.

Recommend?

In General – A soft maybe. It’s not good, but for what it is, it might warrant a watch.

Diego Luna – Maybe. While I’ve seen so many better performances from Luna, it’s still kind of enjoyable, and I like watching him and Garai together.

Warnings

Sexual content, language (including racial slurs,) violence (including attempted sexual assault,) drinking/smoking, and thematic elements.

Other Doctor Lives: Gentleman Jack: Season 2, Episode 7 – “What’s all that go to do with Jesus though” (2022)

*A few spoilers from episode 6.*

Gentleman Jack unfortunately didn’t make it past season 2, and this is Peter Davison’s last episode of the show. It’s a good one, even if we only get a brief appearance from Mr. Priestley.

In addition to her plans for her own land—which are moving full steam ahead—Anne helps Miss Walker address some issues with her property. Miss Walker has long been waiting to divide up her shared inheritance with her sister, but things have become much more complicated since she learned that her sister signed over her half of their estate to her husband. Capt. Sutherland seems hellbent on dragging out the proceedings, especially once he detects Anne’s influence in Miss Walker’s letters.

I feel like it’s not often that we see a controlling, domineering husband in Victorian period pieces who’s abusive without being overt about it. Capt. Sutherland’s abuse is potent but subtle, exerting his will over his wife by manipulating her perspective and presenting a much more mild, innocuous portrait of himself. Miss Walker has quite the time facing up to him, but she’s not about to back down, especially with Anne rallying behind her.

One byproduct of these efforts to divide Miss Walker’s estate is that a Sunday school run out of one of her properties suddenly loses its teacher. This leads into a fun montage of Anne’s steward Mr. Washington, Miss Walker, and Anne all attempting to fill in and teach the Sunday school themselves. After seeing Mr. Washington and Miss Walker both do their utmost to interest the kids in the story of the Good Samaritan, we smash cut to Anne energetically teaching them geometry. Ha!

As far as Anne’s hotel scheme is concerned, this episode finds her meeting with a young but visionary architect, Mr. Harper. I was happy to see he was played by Luke Newberry, who I loved so much as Kieren on In the Flesh. Mr. Harper is an endearing character, who has a passion for the charming details of old houses and is so dedicated to his work he forgets to eat.

Our final scene with Peter Davison comes when Mr. and Mrs. Priestley confront Mr. Washington about recent evictions on Miss Walker’s properties (again, from preparations to divide her estate.) Mrs. Priestley clearly doesn’t have much faith in her husband to be of use in this matter, which gives us this amusing exchange:

Mrs. Priestley: “Don’t.”

Mr. Priestley: “What?”

Mrs. Priestley: “Say anything.”

And to be sure, he’s not especially helpful. He knows nothing about Miss Walker’s plan to divide the estate but badly bluffs that he does. And as usual, Anne is the thorn in his side—as soon as Mr. Washington tells them about Miss Walker’s plans, Mr. Priestley grumbles, “We know who’s behind that one, don’t we?”

That’s it for Peter Davison on Gentleman Jack! Final thoughts:

Accent Watch

A soft Northern—well-to-do while also keeping those Northern vowels in a way that, say, Anne doesn’t.

Recommend?

In General – I would. It can move a bit slowly at times, but I always enjoy getting period pieces about LGBTQ folks, and the fact that these were real people makes it even more interesting.

Peter Davison – A soft maybe. While I’m not sure Davison is really in the series enough to be “worth it” watching just for him, he still brings across a strong sense of this character.

Warnings

Sexual content, scenes of violence (including discussion of sexual assault,) language, drinking/smoking, and strong thematic elements.