Brendon Jones It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Ginger Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Phillipa Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

rooprect If you're like me, the phrase "coming of age story" is about as exciting as the phrase "nature documentary about corn". That said, this coming of age story ranks among the best I've seen and kept me interested from start to finish.At its heart is the familiar story of a teenage loner who's much too wise for his own good, living in NYC and simultaneously battling a dysfunctional family and the malaise of life. The book "Catcher in the Rye" comes to mind as do the films "The Squid and the Whale", "Igby Goes Down" and "City Island" (yeah for someone who doesn't like coming of age stories, I sure manage to see a lot of them). All follow the same basic structure: we observe a few days in the life of a troubled teen, seeing different vignettes that are not necessarily related to each other but give us insight into the character's isolation from family & society.What sets this apart from the others is the masterfully suspenseful way it's told. That is, even though there is no traditional plot line, the film leads us on with anticipation of events to come. How is this done? Well, for one it starts with a scene of the boy standing on a rooftop ledge preparing to jump to his death. How's that for a hook? It keeps us guessing throughout with references to "what happened in DC" - an episode which is not explained until near the end of the film. Dramatic lighting & cinematography also augment the tension in a subtle way. In this way, the film presents a gnawing mystery which should keep you interested despite the lack of traditional action.Two other things kept my interest going, the first is the playful sense of humor (seeing the absurdity of peoples' actions contrasted with the calm exasperation of the main character--sorta like you'd find in an 80s John Cusack comedy). The second is the acting of the main character himself. The 17-year-old hero James (played by actor Toby Regbo) is a very colorful character. Though his emotions are muted and his interactions with other characters are equally suppressed, we still manage to get close to him somehow. Perhaps it's because of his expressive face even when he's not expressing emotions. Maybe it's just his body language. Or maybe it's the way he connects with his little dog. For whatever reason, I felt instantly connected with him even though my own life has nothing in common with his.Great supporting performances by every other character, most of whom play comedic oddballs or such extreme caricatures that you can't help but laugh at their every expression. The father (Peter Gallagher) had me laughing, and Aubrey Plaza (though a very small role) had me in stitches with her signature weirdness.If you like slightly satirical films about real life, and if you don't require car chases, shootouts and sex scenes, then this is a good one. I would also add if you like films set in NYC this has some great scenery and nostalgic locations. Even if you aren't thrilled at coming of age stories, this one is worth your time, as are the others I've mentioned. "Someday This Pain" bears a slight resemblance to my favorite coming of age flick "Archie's Final Project" about a troubled teen who wants to film his suicide for a high school film class.Now if someone could just make a nature documentary on corn so interesting, my life will be complete.

MartinHafer Before I get to what I think about "Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You", I have gotta point out something that really irritates me. In the IMDb summary, it talks about 'James as he works through his life at the therapy sessions'. These are NOT therapy sessions and as a trained psychotherapist, it irritates me when untrained folks do what they call 'therapy'. A life coach is NOT a therapist. Now I am not against life coaches--if you want one, fine. But in this movie a seriously depressed and suicidal young man goes to a life coach instead of seeking appropriate mental health treatment--and the life coach was WAY over her head and very unprofessional for ignoring this. Badly written and a bit irresponsible if you ask me.As for the movie itself, this film reminds me of a couple other Marcia Gay Harden films I've seen lately--wonderfully acted yet with a script that seems incomplete or at least in need of a re-write. Now this does NOT mean I didn't like the film--it was worth it overall--even with its flaws (such as an ill-defined plot and an ending that seemed ridiculously simplistic). The acting and characters were that good. In particular, Toby Regbo (who is credited very low in the cast even though he's CLEARLY the lead) did a great job with the part he was given. Interesting and involving but the parts don't exactly work together to form a pleasing whole. See the film and see what you think.

cain_zaria So i read the book. By the time i gotten to chapter nine (He finally starts talking about what happened in the American Classroom) I realized, "He's like the male version of me." All that hating people, suicidal thoughts, depression, and psychopathy was all right there in this book about a guy who understood the world and hated what he found.BY the time i got to the end i thought, "Why the hell did i read this?" It's frustrating and scary because it makes you question EVERYTHING and soon you just can't trust anymore. It ruined me for a while there.But then I read it again and I'm like, "I can do better than this. So what if I'm miserable? If I'm going to be miserable then it's going to be on MY terms." Of course this makes no sense at all but at the time i was inspired and realized, "James was right. I'm just a teenager. What do i really know?"Basically you're going to be pulling your hair and thinking a lot but in the end it just might make you better.

Saad Khan Someday this pain will be useful to you – Trash It (D) Well this is as bad as its name, a rich teenager finding meaning for his life and hating what he has is ridiculous. Even in the end we don't see finding him any meaning of his life which makes it even more badly. The director somehow manages to nab brilliant ensemble but even their performances couldn't save this lousy script. Toby Regbo was amazing in "Mr.Nobody" so I was really excited to see this but here he is just another Looney wandering in the streets of New York. Deborah Ann Woll is amazing beautiful as always. Marcia Gay Harden, Lucy Liu and Stephen long etc are good in their parts. On the whole, its waste of money and time, better to watch Toby Regbo is Mr.Nobody and Deborah Ann Woll again in True Blood.