Kieran Culkin’s star has been rapidly on the rise and his latest film, A Real Pain
, could see him win an Oscar, but before that happens, take a beat to go back and revisit another incredible film by his co-star and director from 2010. Kieran Culkin is no stranger to Hollywood. As a child, he was frequently cast in minor roles in notable movies, including Father of the Bride, starring a comedy legend, and Home Alone, starring Macaulay Culkin. However, as is clear by the shared name, Kieran’s brother, Macaulay, actually had a much more successful career in acting at the time.

While he did manage to land a leading role in a film in 2002, that was the year that also marked a several year-long hiatus from appearing in TV and film until he returned in 2008. His next biggest notable role was in 2010, when Culkin appeared in Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, but his big break came when he began starring in Succession as Roman Roy. And with his extensive filmography, Culkin has starred alongside some incredibly talented actors, including Jesse Eisenberg, who starred opposite him in A Real Pain.

Jesse Eisenberg’s The Social Network Was A Huge Oscars Contender

The Social Network Was Nominated For Eight Oscars In 2011

Jesse Eisenberg’s career in Hollywood has seen him playing leading roles for well over a decade, with his incredible breakout solo lead role coming in 2010, when he appeared in The Social Network. The Social Network is based on the story of how Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook, one of the most popular websites on the internet of all time, and the struggles that he encountered as business partners and former friends attempted to claim ownership of the ideas and initial building up of the website.

The film was a tremendous success, with many people praising Eisenberg’s performance, and his ability to play an awkward and defiant young billionaire in such a moving way. This led to the film earning eight Oscar nominations, including one for Best Actor for Jesse Eisenberg. However, he narrowly missed out on the win, which went to Colin Firth for his performance in The King’s Speech.

How The Social Network Compares To A Real Pain

Both The Social Network & A Real Pain Have Some Striking Similarities

While The Social Network marked a major milestone in Eisenberg’s career, the talented actor has begun to shift his focus to spending more time directing. In 2022, Eisenberg released his directorial debut, and two years later, he progressed to releasing the incredible A Real Pain, which is tipped to win awards on the 2025 circuit. And it appears as though Eisenberg has drawn inspiration from his previous work for his latest release, considering both films appear to share some themes.

A Real Pain follows two young men as they embark on a journey to connect with their recently deceased grandmother by visiting the place where she grew up in Poland. The story is also underlined with incredible sorrow, mourning, and a feeling of loneliness, despite Eisenberg and Culkin’s characters traveling together. Eisenberg’s take on Zuckerberg in The Social Network is also underlined by loneliness, with the main character constantly surrounded by people, but still feeling isolated. There is also a sense of lost relationships, a yearning to be more social or like other people, and both stories revolve around highly intelligent, but socially inept characters.

The Evolution Of Jesse Eisenberg’s Career: After Losing Best Actor, Kieran Culkin Could Win For A Real Pain

Jesse Eisenberg’s Career Has Been Action Packed

Eisenberg has had a stellar career, with a wide variety of roles that have seen him play incredibly confident protagonists, like Daniel Atlas in the Now You See Me movies, to monstrous villains, like Lex Luthor in the DCEU. And while some of these films were received better than others, Eisenberg has established himself as a formidable talent. Now, with his foray into writing and directing, Eisenberg could have a bright future ahead of him behind the camera as well, especially considering the reception to A Real Pain.

However, while Eisenberg’s career has seen him shift from actor to writer and director, while still delivering commanding and compelling performances, Culkin appears to have gone the long way around. Eisenberg broke out on the scene with remarkable performances early on, which gained him notoriety and an Oscar nomination. Kieran Culkin, on the other hand, has had a long and challenging road to get to this point. And after decades of putting in the work, he is at the point where he was able to win an Emmy for his time on Succession, and he is now on track to potentially land an even bigger award after appearing in A Real Pain.

In which Eisenberg still delivers a great performance, but he also wrote this one.