For ‘A Real Pain,’ Jesse Eisenberg learned to embrace the chaos of Kieran Culkin. Magic ensued

AP Film Writer

Jesse Eisenberg co-stars with Kieran Culkin in the new film “A Real Pain,” which opens in theaters Friday. The story is a personal one for Eisenberg, who wrote and directed this story about two mismatched cousins on a Holocaust tour in Poland. The film was rapturously received at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and scooped up by Searchlight for distribution. It’s also garnering a healthy amount of awards buzz for Culkin, who tried to drop out a few weeks before the shoot. But Emma Stone, a producer and longtime friend, saved the day with a phone call.