Review by
Ben Peyton
Directed by: Brandon Trost
Starring: Seth Rogen, Sarah Snook, Eliot Glazer, Kalen Allen,
Jorma Taccone
For those lamenting the lack of original ideas in films these days, look no
further. Adapted by screenwriter Simon Rich from his 2013 New Yorker
novella, 'Sell Out', An American Pickle is as unique as they
come.
It’s 1919 and we’re in Eastern Europe, the fictional town of Schlupsk to be precise, to witness devout Jew Herschel Greenbaum’s (Seth Rogen) marriage to the love of his life, Sarah (Sarah Snook). He’s a hardworking labourer struggling to make ends meet with a simple dream of wanting to taste seltzer water so he can feel the bubbles tickling his tongue. Sarah is slightly more ambitious. She wants to be rich enough to buy her own gravestone. Fancy. Their wedding is rudely interrupted by a group of Cossacks who butcher everyone apart from the now not-so happy couple. Attempting to put a life of hardship and persecution behind them, they move to New York to begin a new life of, well, hardship and persecution.
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Employed as a rat-catcher in a factory, Herschel accidentally falls into a
huge vat of pickling brine that, somehow, manages to preserve him perfectly
for 100 years. Waking up in modern-day Brooklyn, he must adjust to 21st
century America with the help of his only surviving relative, great-grandson
Ben Greenbaum (also Rogen). As the pair initially bond, old wounds are
slowly opened as cultures clash and a family feud threatens to tear the
Greenbaum legacy apart.
There’s an awful lot to enjoy about An American Pickle. A smart script explores racism, the current trend of cancel-culture and the power of social media, while Rogen, in virtually every scene as one character or the other, has plenty to sink his teeth into. As Herschel, he shows a fierce determination and stubbornness, where Ben has an endearing charm in his casual approach to life. These traits are interchangeable as both find themselves on a journey of discovery as they try to make sense of their new situation.
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The comedy mainly comes from Herschel struggling to adapt as a fish out of
water (should that be man out of brine?!) trying to get his head around
magic rectangles (iPads) or Ben owning 25 pairs of socks, (“But, you only
have two feet...”). One can’t help but think of
Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation
of Kazakhstan, but there’s a very touching story of family at
An American Pickle’s heart, and amid all the silliness, perhaps surprisingly, there are
occasionally very delicate moments of poignancy. Religion and faith are
explored too. The simple comfort that can be found in prayer is timeless,
but attitudes towards certain Gods and the more relaxed approach to
particular beliefs highlight how quickly practices have changed through the
years.
Quirky and uplifting, director Brandon Trost’s timely film should be embraced for the absurd escapism it is. A terrific showcase for Rogen’s talents, An American Pickle might not be to everyone’s taste, but I found it easy to swallow.
An American Pickle is on Prime Video
UK now.