Kieran Culkin Should Get an Oscar Nod for ‘A Real Pain’

This week:

• Recovering from Halloween.

• My favorite Oscar contender of the year.

• Another stunning musical premieres in New York.

• Adele and Céline!

• Welcome to a new queen of Bravo.

One of the Best Movies of the Year

Way back in January, I saw what was, at that point, my favorite film of 2024 so far. (There wasn’t much for comparison.) Almost 11 months later, however, my answer hasn’t changed: A Real Pain is still my favorite film of the year.

Following its rapturous reception in January at the Sundance Film Festival, the movie has been a fixture on the festival circuit and Oscars campaign trail. Starting this weekend, it’s now in theaters.

A Real Pain is written and directed by Jesse Eisenberg, who also stars alongside Kieran Culkin. They play cousins who go on a historical group tour of Poland following their grandmother’s death, specifically to see the concentration camp she survived and the house she grew up in.

They’re a bit of an odd couple: Eisenberg’s David is a high-strung family man who is out of sorts being so far from his typical routine. Culkin’s Benji, however, is a walking id: at one moment spontaneous and euphoric to the point of unhinged, the next morose in a silent stupor, as if a light switch is turning his personality off and on, with extreme wattage.

They both bristle and attempt to better understand each other, having once been close when they were younger. It’s a fractious dynamic exasperated but the emotional weight of the trip they’re on, and the fact that their interactions are exposed for everyone in the tour group to see. Jennifer Grey, playing a newly divorced mother, turns in a particularly stellar performance, serving as an empathetic sounding board for the boys while also on her own journey to know herself better.

And Culkin is astonishing in this: a sparkplug who startles you and melts your heart in equal measure. I hope he gets the award-season attention he deserves.

Another Astonishing Musical

There is good singing, and then there’s whatever is going on at New York City Center, where a staging of the musical Ragtime is currently taking place. It’s astounding.

Tackling Ragtime songs like “Wheels of a Dream,” “Your Daddy’s Son,” “Make Them Hear You,” and “Back to Before,” not to mention the thrilling title number, is akin to climbing a vocal Mount Everest for a musical theater performer. This cast—led by Joshua Henry, Nichelle Lewis, Caissie Levy, and Brandon Uranowitz—summit with a seeming ease.

There were moments when you could hear audience members gasp at the vocal acrobatics on display, or reflexively clasp their hearts at the emotional power of the performances that were washing over them. Chants of “bravo!” and raucous applause came several times before the actors finished belting their last notes.

It’s a stunning show. If you’re able to see it in New York, I highly recommend it. Here’s a teaser video has a taste:

Well, This Is Just Lovely

However many times you think I’ve watched this video of Adele and Céline Dion bursting into tears as they embrace each other while Adele walks through the audience at her Caesar’s Palace Las Vegas concert…multiply it by five.

A New Queen Rises

The last three episodes of The Real Housewives of Orange County have been thrilling, particularly because they mark the ascension of Jenn Pedranti, who is proving to be an excellent cast member in her second season.

If you watch the show, you’re probably nodding your head in fervent agreement while reading that. If you don’t, well, might I point you back to the Adele/Céline video again? We would all be better people if we started each day by watching it.

What to watch this week:

The Diplomat: Season 2 of the Keri Russell political thriller adds Allison Janney, to the delight of everyone. (Now on Netflix)

Juror No. 2: At 94 years old, Clint Eastwood has still got it. (Now in theaters)

Finding Mr. Christmas: A reality show searching for the next Hallmark Hunk. Brilliant. No notes. (Now on Hallmark+)

What to skip this week:

Here: This is not the Forrest Gump reunion that anyone was hoping for. (Now in theaters)