What is potential?
Oxford dictionary explains it as "latent qualities or abilities that may be developed and lead to future success or usefulness."
I think the problem with this movie started with the decision to combine comedy with drama, or more aptly put: the indecision of choosing drama or comedy.
There definitely was a good story quality to be had. It sounded viable...two young cousins, Jews on a Heritage tour to motherland of Poland, finding themselves from within and without, contrasting one another in personality and ambition, contrasting modern Poland with Holocaust Poland.
But when I watched it I felt, "uncomfortable and cheated." I found nothing funny about what I saw or felt. Nor did I need to. I would like for this movie to receive a golfer's mulligan and try again!
It's a shame, too... because there is such an important message lost within this story to be had...
Yes, it was a bum movie for me...and I was bummed!
"A REAL PAIN appears to promote a brand of vague, godless psychobabble that never gets to the moral, spiritual nature or heart inside the two cousins. So, the movie just ends, with no real resolution which is often the case with open-ended humanist art movies like A REAL PAIN." https://www.movieguide.org/reviews/a-real-pain.html
About the Creator
Shirley Belk
Mother, Nana, Sister, Cousin, & Aunt who recently retired. RN (Nursing Instructor) who loves to write stories to heal herself and reflect on all the silver linings she has been blessed with :)
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Making Her Statement
"Subtlety is the ability to notice and recognize things which are not obvious, especially small differences between things...Subtlety is the ability to use indirect methods to achieve something, rather than doing something that is obvious." www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/subtlety
By Shirley Belk12 months ago in Art
Center Stage with Gina C.
*** I'm keen to republish the interviews I did for my series with Vocal creators. It's been a few years and I thought it might be nice to revisit these wonderful conversations. I'll be releasing them one at a time for a few weeks/months.
By Heather Hubler6 days ago in Interview
Comments (6)
I haven’t seen this one yet, but there is a similar movie called Treasure which came out last year. It’s also mixes dark comedy with drama. I liked it a lot. I’m curious to see this now though as it has had a bit of acclaim.
Sounds like *A Real Pain* had a lot of potential but just didn’t deliver. Mixing comedy and drama is tricky, and it seems like this one didn’t quite find the right balance. It’s frustrating when a good story idea gets lost in execution. Maybe next time!
If you don't mind me asking, may I ask an example of what was portrayed as funny but to you was not? Loved your review!
I wanted to watch this movie but now I am like hmmmm.
Thanks for the heads up. I was hoping it would be better. Will take this review into consideration the next time I am looking for a movie.
I will take this review under consideration.