The Nerdery Movie Night #254: A Real Pain and Ginger-Turmeric Popcorn

In which we both use "orbit" in our reviews because of course we do. 👯

Ginger Turmeric Popcorn

Dave: While the movie felt a bit plotless and meandering, Kieran Culkin’s performance stood out. What could have been a clownish portrayal of a slightly wayward 30-something, turned into a relatable character full of pathos and contradictions. All the other characters in the film subtly orbited around Culkin, making him the unstable emotional center of the film. It feels un-PC to say that a Holocaust film isn’t anything new, but the script does tend toward minimalism, and a little filling in at the edges would have gone a long way here. (️️️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)

Jolly Time’s website wanted me to cook this popcorn in the oven at least 10 minutes longer, at which point it would have been inedible and charred. Shame on you, Big Popcorn! As it was, the flavors felt subtle. Ginger, lemon, and turmeric should never feel that subtle. The odd mixture of olive oil and honey didn’t create a crunchy, sugary coating the way other caramel-esque recipes have. The tl/dr review here is: Do better, Jolly Time (️️️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

Joe: I was suspicious when Culkin racked up one award after another for his performance, but that suspicion was misguided. Not only is performance top notch, but it also deserved to be best actor, not supporting. He carries this movie. Everything - and I do mean everything - orbits around him. He anchors the film's pathos, and it's because of the smartly written script that he gets to shine: in the funny moments, he is very funny. In the heartbreaking moments, he brought me to tears. He is every good thing about this movie. Frankly, my best guess is that the studio felt he was more likely to win in the supporting category than in the lead category. I call shenanigans. A brilliant performance that elevated the film from good to great (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2)

This was a very strange popcorn in that it tasted both like nothing and something at the same time. I thought it was an orange glazed popcorn, which was way off the mark. In fact, when Dave told me what the recipe was called, I was gobsmacked. I tasted no turmeric and no ginger. That's not to say the popcorn was bad. It was just... not... those two things. (⭐️⭐️)

Popcorn from: Jolly Time

A Real Pain on IMDb.