A Real Pain

newly off of a prolific rivulet on HBO’sSuccession , Kieran Culkin take back to the braggart screen in Jesse Eisenberg ’s new directorial effortA Real Pain , but despite the accolades he ’s gotten , his Oscar chances are uncertain . Culkin , who start his career with an show inHome Alonealongside his brother Macaulay , is known for playing way-out characters , let in Benji inA Real Pain ’s cast of charactersalongside Jesse Eisenberg ’s David . The excellent moving-picture show has been one ofKieran Culkin ’s best moviesto day of the month , and one of his best pieces of piece of work , full stop .

Culkin has been acting steady since he was a child , but he ’s really follow into his own in the past few old age , earning praise for his power to drudge his gonzo case in exposure and authenticity . 2023 witness Culkin win an Emmy for his role as Roman Roy inSuccession . Now , he ’s been propose for Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars . However , A Real Pain ’s sparse nomination for the Academy Awards may bear him back from clinching the title , thoughKieran Culkin is arguably the honorable Supporting Actor frontrunner for the 2025 Academy Award .

A Real Pain Did Not Perform As Well As Expected In The 2025 Oscar Nominations

A Real Pain Missed A Best Picture Nomination

A Real Painfollows Eisenberg and Culkin as a twain of first cousin looking to touch base with both their Jewish descent and themselves . The movie have universal critical acclaim and has been received quite well by consultation ; even after its theatrical rill , A Real Painclimbed Hulu ’s chartsonce it hit cyclosis . amazingly , though , despiteA Real Pain ’s stellar reexamination , it was nominated only in the Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor family for this year ’s Oscars , mean it miss out on a all-important nomination for the Academy Awards : Best Picture .

Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg excuse how they negotiated the histrion - theatre director relationship in A Real Pain , which is name for 4 gilt Globes .

It was a head - scratch snub . A really Painreceived nominations from critic ' circle such as the Gotham Awards and Critics ' Choice Awards , and was named one of the top ten best movies of 2024 by both the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute . At the 2024 Sundance Film Festival , the motion-picture show won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for Eisenberg ’s screenplay . Yet , the Academy choose to go forth the motion-picture show out of its Best Picture nominations .

A Real Pain Official Poster

How Much A Real Pain’s Best Picture Snub Really Impacts Kieran Culkin’s Best Supporting Actor Odds

Supporting Actor Wins Often Come from Best Picture Nominees and Winners

The Best Picture snub may seem unrelated to Culkin ’s operation , but it ’s worth noting that for almost the retiring decade and a half , Academy Awards ceremony haveexclusively rewarded stick out player who starred in Best Picture winners or nominee . What ’s more indicative of Culkin ’s potential luck at winning is the more late , worrying course : the past three player to take home the award ( Robert Downey Jr. , Ke Huy Quan , and Troy Kotsur ) all star in Best Picture succeeder .

Should Culkin win the Academy Award without being attached to a Best Picture campaigner , he would be breaking a 13 - yr - long streak .

Should Culkin win the Academy Award without being impound to a Best Picture nominee , he would be breaking a 13 - year - long streak . In 2012 , Christopher Plummer win the honour forBeginners , which received a number of accolades but did not make it into the Best Picture family at the Academy Awards . A existent Painstands to make 2020s history if Culkin take home the Best Supporting Actor Oscar .

Jesse Eisenberg & Kieran Culkin sitting in the lobby in A Real Pain

Kieran Culkin Should Still Be Viewed As The Frontrunner To Win Best Supporting Actor At The 2025 Oscars

Don’t Count Culkin Out Yet

That read , theSuccessionalum has been sweeping this twelvemonth ’s awards time of year , most lately make headway the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture . Culkin also won Best Supporting Actor title from major critics ' Mexican valium , include the " Big Four , " consist of the National Board of Review , New York Film Critics Circle , Los Angeles Film Critics Association , and National Society of Film Critics , only the third hold actor in history to do so . Culkin also received nominations for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role , which will be denote in February .

Actor To pull ahead Big 4

Movie ( Year )

Jesse Eisenberg & Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain

Won Best Supporting Actor Oscar ?

Jack Nicholson

Terms of Endearment ( 1984 )

Kieran Culkin smiling while at the train station in A Real Pain

Yes

Willem Dafoe

The Florida Project ( 2018 )

Kieran Culkin looking sad in A Real Pain

No

Kieran Culkin

A Real Pain ( 2025 )

Kieran Culkin in A Real Pain

TBD

However , Culkin faces a worthy chemical group of competitors : Yura Borisov ( Anora ) , Edward Norton ( A Complete Unknown ) , Guy Pearce ( The Brutalist ) , and Jeremy Strong ( The Apprentice).As the Oscar race currently stands , Norton and Pearce seem to be his biggest competition . Norton stands a clean chance of succeed the honour givenA Complete Unknown ’s popularity with the Academy . The Bob Dylan biopic piece up eight nominations , including Best Picture . Norton is also a familiar face in the industry , having been put forward for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor thrice and Best Actor once . He has yet to acquire an Oscar , so the Academy may see this twelvemonth as an opportunity to give the actor his efflorescence .

After a big nighttime at the 2025 Golden Globes , Kieran Culkin has emerge as the frontrunner in the Best Supporting Actor race at the 2025 Oscar .

Headshot Of Jesse Eisenberg

Pearce’srole as the villainous Harrison Lee Van Buren inThe Brutalistalso makes him a strong contender in the competition . The Australian player is also nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role and earned other nomination from the Gotham Awards and Golden Globes . The Brutalistreceived 10 Oscar nominations , including Best Picture , and late pull ahead three critical Golden Earth : Best Actor in a Motion Picture ( Drama ) , Best Director , and Best Motion Picture ( Drama ) .

Even so , regardless ofA Real Paingetting a meretwo nominations , Culkin is still the frontrunner for the category and will likely remain so until the night of the Academy Awards observance reveals the winner . That the Oscar is still Culkin ’s to lose despite the Best Picture snub only goes to show how solid and compelling his performance was . While there are hatful of worthy contender , it seems momentum is on Culkin ’s side .

The Oscars will airSunday , March 2 at 7 pm EST/7pm PST on ABC and Hulu .

Headshot Of Kieran Culkin

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A Real Pain

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