Kieran Culkin ’s Best Supporting Actor nomination at theOscarshas been criticized as category fraud , but despite howA Real Painmakes it reckon , he is , indeed , a supporting actor . Culkin appears alongside the moving picture ’s writer and director , Jesse Eisenberg , inthe puke ofA Real Pain . They play two Jewish American cousins — Dave , play by Eisenberg , and Benji , bring by Culkin — who embark on a tour of Holocaust sites across Poland to honor their late grandmother . Along the way , they confront their personal issues with each other and return home with a stronger bond than ever .

Whenthe nominations for the 2025 Oscars were announce , A rattling Painreceived two nods : Best Original Screenplay for Eisenberg and Best support Actor for Culkin . While Eisenberg ’s nominating speech was a no - brainer , Culkin ’s has been criticized ; not because his functioning is n’t merit of an award , but because he ’s purportedly not a supporting thespian . Some objector have argue that Culkin is more of a Centennial State - lead than a patronize player . But these ill do n’t carry much water . Benji is decidedly a suffer role , but the flick makes it seem like he ’s the main character — that ’s part of the point .

Kieran Culkin’s Benji Is A Supporting Character In A Real Pain, He Just Has A Bigger Personality Than The Main Character

Benji Is The Life Of The Party

A Real Painbegins and terminate with Benji — it ’s bookended by shots of Benji sitting in an drome terminal , trying to make ally , realizing how lonely he is — butit ’s still Dave ’s taradiddle and it ’s read through Dave ’s eyes . Dave is the one seen traveling to the drome at the kickoff of the movie and he ’s understand devolve to his family atthe destruction ofA Real Pain . When Dave and Benji get separated , as Dave leave the eatery early and Benji stays out with the rest of the tour group , the pic abide by Dave . It ’s clearly about Dave ’s journeying .

Where Dave is shy , clumsy , and introverted , Benji is brash , sure-footed , and outspoken .

Benji feels like a main character because he has a much bigger personality than Dave . Where Dave is timid , awkward , and introverted , Benji is nervy , confident , and outspoken . Benji has been compared toCulkin’sSuccessioncharacter , Roman Roy , but they have a few key deviation . Benji has social skills and compassion and a actual interest in other people , which romish lacks . Benji is an open book emotionally , while Roman goes to not bad distance to disguise his sorrowfulness . The main matter they have in unwashed is their snarkiness , which makes them both scene - stealers .

Pirates-Of-The-Caribbean-6’s-Best-Path-Forward-Is-Combining-The-2-Movies-Disney-Has-Spent-Years-Developing-

Benji Overshadowing Dave Is The Whole Point Of Their Relationship In A Real Pain

It Seems Like Benji Is The Main Character Because The Movie Does Its Job

It seems like Benji is the lead of the moving-picture show , steering the ship , because his lively , obnoxious personality sustain shadow Dave . Benji is constantly slip the public eye from Dave , hijacking his conversation and redirecting people ’s attention with his undeniable magic spell . But that ’s not the motion-picture show failing to rivet on the right character ; it ’s the movie deliver the goods in demonstrate its central duo ’s human relationship . Benji ’s predilection for upstaging Dave is the dramatic crux of their relationship . Dave sense invisible next to Benji , and the picture show present why . If Benji seems like the principal grapheme , it ’s because the motion-picture show catch that dynamic utterly .

A Real Painwas mention one of the top 10 moving picture of 2024 by the American Film Institute and the National Board of Review .

Dave ’s insecurities in his relationship with Benji are illustrate utterly inEisenberg ’s incredible dinner party monologue . While Benji is in the bath , Dave confides in the respite of the turn group that he envy Benji ’s ability to light up a elbow room . He wish he knew what it matte like to be the life of the party and trance multitude ’s attention like Benji does . This monologue give it clear that , while Dave is the main character of the picture show , Benji is the main character of their lives .

Cesar Catilina (Adam Driver) in Megalopolis (2024)

Is Kieran Culkin The Favorite To Win Best Supporting Actor?

It’s A Very Competitive Category

Culkin is currently the frontrunner to win Best Supporting Actorat the 97th Academy Awards , especially after his Golden Globe win coif a promising common law , but it ’s a very competitive class this year . Culkin is make alongside Yura Borisov forAnora , Edward Norton forA Complete Unknown , Guy Pearce forThe Brutalist , and Culkin’sSuccessionco - star Jeremy Strong forThe Apprentice . Borisov was the surprise breakout star ofAnora , play the only manful character that does n’t objectify or tap the nominal sexual urge worker . Pearce brought real intensity to Harrison ’s green-eyed monster of László ’s gift inThe Brutalist .

Best Supporting Actor candidate

Movie

Dwayne Johnson’s Luke Hobbs and Vin Diesel’s Dom staring at each other in Fast Five.

Kieran Culkin

A Real Pain

Yura Borisov

Kieran Culkin looking sad in A Real Pain

Anora

Edward Norton

A Complete Unknown

Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg stare up at a statue in Poland in A Real Pain

Guy Pearce

The Brutalist

Jeremy Strong

A Real Pain Official Poster

The Apprentice

Norton made a dandy foil for Timothée Chalamet ’s Bob Dylan inA Complete Unknown ; his Pete Seeger embodies the stuffiness of the folk genre ’s gatekeeping erstwhile guard that Dylan want to break free of . Strong go away into the role of Roy Cohn inThe Apprentice , stealing the show from Sebastian Stan and enamor audiences whenever he ’s on - screen . The case could be made for all of the nominees to winBest Supporting Actor at this year’sOscars , but Culkin still seems like the most likely winner .

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Headshot Of Jesse Eisenberg

Headshot Of Kieran Culkin

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A Real Pain