WARNING: SPOILERS ahead for A Real Pain.
After seeing Culkin’s standout performance in A Real Pain, his current frontrunner status for the 2025 Best Supporting Actor Oscar makes a lot of sense. Despite his supporting role, Culkin leads the cast of A Real Pain alongside Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, and Jesse Eisenberg, who also wrote and directed the film. After his win at the 2025 Golden Globes, Kieran Culkin has emerged as the frontrunner in the Best Supporting Actor race at the 2025 Oscars.
Kieran Culkin Gives An Incredible Performance In A Real Pain
Culkin offers an unparalleled signature performance as Benji, which is so strong and integral to his respective film that he truly deserves the Oscar in 2025. Washington was the standout of Gladiator II and should make it a tight race, while Guy Pearce of The Brutalist could make a push in the coming weeks, as well as Edward Norton for his transformative performance as “America’s tuning fork” Pete Seeger from A Complete Unknown. Dark horses Jeremy Strong of The Apprentice and Yura Borisov of Anora are still well within the conversation. Culkin, however, is arguably the only projected Supporting Actor nominee who feels irreplaceable in his film, which is why he should win for A Real Pain.
A Real Pain explores themes of identity and loss as two estranged families confront their shared and tumultuous pasts. Through intertwining narratives, the film delves into the complexities of familial relationships and the enduring impact of unresolved grief.
Release Date: January 20, 2024
Runtime: 90 Minutes
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Kieran Culkin, Will Sharpe, Jennifer Grey, Kurt Egyiawan, Liza Sadovy, Daniel Oreskes, Ellora Torchia, Jakub Gąsowski, Krzysztof Jaszczak, Piotr Czarniecki, Marek Kasprzyk
Character(s): David, Benji, James, Marsha, Eloge, Diane, Mark, Priya, Receptionist, Pianist, Conductor, Older Man
Director: Jesse Eisenberg
Writers: Jesse Eisenberg
Studio(s): Topic Studios, Fruit Tree, Extreme Emotions, Rego Park