I didn't know anything about this story - I don't watch family vloggers on YouTube (surprise!) and didn't catch this story in the news when it broke nationally in 2023.

Watched this because it got a positive review in the New York Times (NYT). I rate it lower than NYT did as a documentary, though it did have its moments when it was harrowing and disturbing while also trying to provide a rationale for what we are watching, which sometimes…

A documentary on Netflix, in which Jonah Hill interviews his therapist, Dr. Stutz. I liked it for its honesty and its insight into what Stutz calls his tools for living a better life. At the core of his therapeutic method, Stutz shares that we all have to live with pain, uncertainty and constant work and that embracing this, engaging with these realities is a necessary precursor to a healthy life. We all have shadows and we all must confront our…

Given that it received 13 nominations for the 2025 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and already received the Golden Globe for Best Picture Musical or Comedy, I knew I needed to watch this film. My immediate reaction after watching it is, why is this film garnering significant interest among the award season?

I hate to start a review so negatively, but I didn't find the songs particularly well written (and I hate to be so snarky, but I suspect most…

Jesse Eisenberg tells a story that reminds me of the people seeking redemption in ordinary lives that Alexander Payne often explores in his films, such as The Holdovers. In A Real Pain, Jesse writes and directs a variant on the buddy film (here with cousins played by Eisenberg himself and Kieran Cullen) that centers on a story of loss, remembrance and discovery where the littlest moments pack the largest emotional impact. How history and memory often turn on events that…