An American Pickle

Name: An American Pickle
Genre: Comedy
Released: August 6, 2020
Duration: 88 min
Rating: 58
Cast: Adam Ratcliffe, Alyse Zwick, Carol Leifer, Charles Rogers, David Mattey

2020

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Mixed or average reviews based on 39 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 51 Ratings

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4.8

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4.8	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 51 Ratings

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An American Pickle

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Movie Details & Credits

Warner Bros. Pictures | Release Date (Streaming): August 6, 2020 | PG-13

Starring: Adam Ratcliffe, Alyse Zwick, Carol Leifer, Charles Rogers, David Mattey, Eliot Glazer, Emily Austin, Geoffrey Cantor, Jeffrey Daniel Phillips, Jessica Kayrouz, Joanna Adler, Jorma Taccone, Kalen Allen, Kevin O'Rourke, Marsha Stephanie Blake, Maya Erskine, Molly Evensen, Sarah Snook, Sean Whalen, Seth Rogen

Summary: Herschel Greenbaum (Seth Rogen) is a struggling laborer who immigrates to America in 1919 with dreams of building a better life for his beloved family. One day, while working at his factory job, he falls into a vat of pickles and is brined for 100 years. The brine preserves him perfectly and when he emerges in present day Brooklyn, he findsHerschel Greenbaum (Seth Rogen) is a struggling laborer who immigrates to America in 1919 with dreams of building a better life for his beloved family. One day, while working at his factory job, he falls into a vat of pickles and is brined for 100 years. The brine preserves him perfectly and when he emerges in present day Brooklyn, he finds that he hasn’t aged a day. But when he seeks out his family, he is troubled to learn that his only surviving relative is his great grandson, Ben Greenbaum (also played by Rogen), a mild-mannered computer coder whom Herschel can’t even begin to understand.… Expand

Director: Brandon Trost

Genre(s): Comedy

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 88 min

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Polygon Karen Han

Aug 18, 2020

The film’s plot, adapted by Simon Rich from one of his short stories, is unfortunately saggy. But Rogen’s performance remains rock-solid throughout. Read full review

Barry Hertz

Aug 3, 2020

While Rich’s script misses a few trickier opportunities to further dig into questions of religion and history – Herschel sleeps his way through the entirety of the Second World War, yet there’s never any discussion of how the Holocaust has irrevocably changed the world he wakes up in – An American Pickle is a movie that your bubbe will love. Read full review

A.O. Scott

Aug 5, 2020

Pickles can be comfort food. Not too filling, good for the digestion, noisy and a little sloppy rather than artful or exquisite or challenging. This one, as I’ve said, isn’t bad, and even allows a soupçon of profundity into its formula. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Matt Zoller Seitz

Aug 5, 2020

An American Pickle is charming and moving whenever it is content to be a two-man play. That's where the dramatic and thematic action happens. And it happens mainly through Rogen's dual performance. Read full review

Mike Ryan

Aug 5, 2020

An American Pickle is more interesting than laugh-out-loud hilarious. It’s introspective, without at all seeming that way. Read full review

Jesse Hassenger

Aug 3, 2020

Rogen’s comedies have often layered broad laughs with humanity and thematic ambition. Here, like Herschel and Ben, they aren’t especially convincing sharing the frame. Read full review

Darren Franich

Aug 4, 2020

There are actors who can pull off dual roles, and now we know Seth Rogen isn’t one of them. Read full review

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User Reviews

Lawlessness01

Aug 6, 2020

For what it is, it's a good movie. To me it seems they made what they set out to make. It's a heartfelt movie and was enjoyable to watch.

4 of 9 users found this helpful45

Iamcritical86

Jul 14, 2021

I thought it was alright, although I'm sure this picture rubbed a few Christians the wrong way! They are definitely a sensitive bunch (when it comes to people who don't share the same beliefs as themselves), and I'm sure that's where some of the negative reviews came from. I feel like thisI thought it was alright, although I'm sure this picture rubbed a few Christians the wrong way! They are definitely a sensitive bunch (when it comes to people who don't share the same beliefs as themselves), and I'm sure that's where some of the negative reviews came from. I feel like this would've been a good film for the late great Robin Williams to star in.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

PhilosopherPete

Aug 7, 2020

Seth does a wonderful job in this simple, short, and sweet film. It is an enjoyable, easy going watch and features very good commentary on the current constructs of our world.

3 of 7 users found this helpful34

Robwinz

Dec 11, 2020

An American Pickle is a decent movie. The movie's got an interesting story, decent acting, great cinematography, some good humour, bad pacing and quite a few plot holes.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

JLuis_001

Sep 11, 2020

It's ironic that Seth Rogen made a film that for viewers like me fails to achieve the goal it seems to aim at and for fans of his humor it won't be boorish and funny enough as most of his films.

To be honest I can say that watching a buddy comedy where Rogen plays both characters wasIt's ironic that Seth Rogen made a film that for viewers like me fails to achieve the goal it seems to aim at and for fans of his humor it won't be boorish and funny enough as most of his films.

To be honest I can say that watching a buddy comedy where Rogen plays both characters was something that I could expect from him but the result is both preposterous and odd to work properly, especially since both characters are charmless.

Of course, this film by no means tries to be realistic nor I as a viewer was looking for some kind of realism in its story, but it's also fair to ask that the idea be sufficiently cohesive or that at least in its own absurdity doesn't feel so distant, because it's true that An America Pickle is a comedy at its core, but its messages go a little further than that humor, and yet the story fails to properly connect both elements.

Yes, I admit that you will laugh more than a couple of times, but in the end there's very little to rescue to become an important film for the career of its lead actor.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

DaveAus

Sep 9, 2020

Not very memorable, while it has a interesting premise it's wasted with crude and racist humour. A poor script and very offensive targeting towards certain groups. Seth Rogen praises one culture and religion but is very discriminatory and racist towards others.

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

szymanski9966

Sep 13, 2020

Love the double standards of today's world. We can laugh at Poles, we cannot laugh at trans, blacks and Jews. I can't agree on that.

0 of 1 users found this helpful01

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