Jesse Eisenberg talks about writing Adam Sandler-like comedies before Bob Odenkirk intervened

Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain is getting major attention for the actor. In addition to starring in A Real Pain, Eisenberg also wrote and directed the film. It received four Golden Globe nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, and Best Supporting Actor, with Culkin winning the latter award. Culkin’s acceptance speech was just as quirky and funny as his performance in Eisenberg’s movie as he said, “Oh thanks, this is incredible. I’m feeling a little – my wife and I did a shot of tequila with Mario Lopez, definitely feeling that.” 

The Hollywood Reporter has recently held its Writer Roundtable discussion, where Eisenberg, Justin Kuritzkes (Challengers and Queer), Payal Kapadia (All We Imagine as Light), Mangold (A Complete Unknown), Reijn (Babygirl) and Jason Reitman (Saturday Night) gathered to talk shop about their careers and the film industry. Eisenberg revealed during this session that his writing sensibilities used to be slightly different until Bob Odenkirk had something to say about it.

When asked about getting his start in writing, Eisenberg explained, “Starting out, I was writing little jokes because I was interested in comedy. Then in my late teens, I started writing screenplays of the Adam Sandler ’90s-era style. I figured out the formula, and I could reproduce it. I even had some of these scripts optioned — I’d send them to agents — but nothing would ever get made. I was also acting.”

Eisenberg continued. “When I was 20, I got a part in a movie that Bob Odenkirk was directing, and I gave him my scripts because I knew he was in the comedy world and had worked at SNL, so I thought, ‘He’ll send them to Adam Sandler.’ He took about two weeks to read them and then called and yelled at me for an hour, but in an incredible way. I’ll never forget what he said because it changed my life. He said, ‘Buddy, why are you writing this? This is something that I’d get hired to write in a weekend. There’d be three of us sitting in a room at Happy Madison doing this. You’re a thoughtful, sensitive guy. Why is this your art?’ It killed me because those scripts represented years of my life. But right after that, I went to Poland for a movie and went to visit my family’s house, as we do in A Real Pain. And I came back and wrote a play.”

Our own Chris Bumbray raved about A Real Pain and said in his review, “One of the impressive things about A Real Pain is how Eisenberg doesn’t seem to be overreaching with his narrative. He’s not trying to break your heart or rivet you. He’s simply showing you an intelligent, empathetic slice of life that says a lot without needing to say much at all. I wouldn’t be surprised if this film turns into a nice little hit for Searchlight, with both Culkin and Eisenberg delivering superb performances.”