From Rejection to Oscars: How Topic Studios Transformed Eisenberg’s ‘A Real Pain’

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Despite facing rejection from every distribution company initially approached, Jesse Eisenberg’s “A Real Pain” is now a two-time Oscar nominee as it approaches the Oscars weekend, having enjoyed a successful awards season and garnering critical acclaim. It’s almost unbelievable!

Following a series of “disappointing” refusals, Eisenberg – who shares the screen with Kieran Culkin in the film – turned to independent production company Topic Studios, known for their work on productions such as “Spencer”, “Roman J. Israel, Esq.”, and “Theater Camp”.

When we encountered Topic, it was a wonderful moment of relief, as they shared our love for the film. Recognizing its unconventional tone, they valued the movie for its unique qualities rather than criticizing or desiring it to be something else. Eisenberg expressed this to EbMaster, emphasizing our good fortune.

In ‘A Real Pain,’ we follow an unconventional duo – two cousins – as they embark on a journey tracing their Jewish roots in Poland, a trip inspired by their deceased grandmother. This film offers a profound exploration of character that’s both amusingly funny and painfully poignant, explaining its impressive run with over a dozen award wins for Eisenberg’s screenplay.

The founder and CEO of Topic Studios, Michael Bloom, explains that the studio’s inception was geared towards fostering a conducive atmosphere for crafting scripts similar to Eisenberg’s. He states, “I established this company with the intention of supporting artists who were daring enough to push boundaries and create truly groundbreaking work. This involved taking risks on both debutants and established artists who were venturing into uncharted territories or attempting something innovative and unique.” Some of the upcoming ventures that embody these qualities include “Splitsville,” starring Dakota Johnson, and “Mother Mary,” featuring Anne Hathaway.

In a year when many critically acclaimed films originated from independent studios rather than major film companies, Bloom contends that independent filmmaking fosters the most authentic creative journey, unencumbered by the bureaucratic hurdles that can occasionally complicate large-scale productions.

Bloom notes a significant distinction in the business approach between studios and independent companies. Publicly traded companies must cater to multiple stakeholders, leading to distinct creative and financial decisions compared to an autonomous entity like ours. Due to budget constraints, we need to be extremely selective about the projects we undertake and clearly define their purpose.

Although “A Real Pain” didn’t have a massive financial reserve like larger production companies, its individualized approach was invaluable during a challenging production hurdle. According to Eisenberg, we experienced a technical and procedural issue that led to a loss of state funding while filming in Poland. However, Topic remained committed to the movie and offered additional funds to help bridge some of that shortfall. Regrettably, we couldn’t cover the entire deficit, so the production budget was reduced to $3.5 million, which was less than our initial target. Nevertheless, Topic displayed remarkable kindness by reaching out promptly and assuring us, “We’re still making this film. We’ll find a solution.

Heller argues that the difficult challenges faced during production actually enhanced the final movie’s appeal, as he puts it, “It seems there’s value in a film battling for survival and persistence throughout its creation process.

Due to his previous experiences, Eisenberg eagerly chose to collaborate again with Topic and Fruit Tree for his future directorial project. He explains, “I’ve never been a writer or director within the studio system, so I can’t speak from personal experience about how it operates. However, as an actor, I’ve been part of numerous studio productions, and I’ve frequently heard directors express frustration over studio interference that seems to undermine their creative control. I’ve had the privilege of working with some talented screenwriters who refer to themselves as ‘typists’ for the studios because they essentially write what the studios want. Fortunately, I haven’t encountered such limitations in my work!

As a movie enthusiast, I’m thrilled to share that I’ll be composing original music for an upcoming project – a delightful musical comedy titled “[Untitled Project],” featuring the talented Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti. When it came to finding the perfect partner for this production, we approached Topic Studios first. Ryan Heller, their co-head, felt an immediate connection, describing our film as one that was tailor-made for them.

Our new movie revolves around a community theater show, and interestingly enough, last year, Topic released ‘Theater Camp.’ Given the success we had with them on ‘A Real Pain,’ we were more than eager to collaborate again.

Bloom doesn’t simply assume that faith without question. Instead, he remarks, “Jesse could easily film his next project elsewhere.” Yet, the fact that we can produce Jesse’s upcoming movie, according to him, serves as a strong indication that we are indeed supporting artists effectively. There’s a bit of romance in my perspective, and I might sound a tad sentimental, but I aimed to establish a company that genuinely resonates with artists and is truly artist-friendly.

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2025-02-28 02:18