Precocious yet vulnerable teenager James (extraordinary newcomer Toby Regbo) has a deep appreciation for the world, but no idea how to live in it. Finding no help from his divorced parents (Marcia Gay Harden and Peter Gallagher), nor his twenty-year-old memoir-writing sister (Deborah Ann Woll), James decides to reject the assumptions that govern the adult world, starting with his potential college career. Grappling with his future, his sexuality, and his screwed up family, James embarks on a search for wisdom through nontraditional means, aided by the eccentricities of his grandmother (Ellen Burstyn), and flings with his therapist (Lucy Liu). Based on the bestselling novel by Peter Cameron, SOMEDAY THIS PAIN WILL BE USEFUL TO YOU is a funny and heartfelt coming of age story about the often strange experiences that help define a life.