Parents' Guide to

An American Pickle

By Jeffrey Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Rogen's double performance saves low-key comedy.

Movie PG-13 2022 90 minutes
An American Pickle Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 11+

Based on 3 parent reviews

F Letcher
F Letcher Parent of 13-year-old
June 18, 2021
age 12+

Quirky but insightful

This was really quite funny! It had an unusual plot and gave a quirky insight into modern American culture. If you like something abit different and you don't mind political incorrectness, this film is for you!
Rafski
Rafski Adult
January 12, 2021
age 14+

An American Pickle not as good as Polskie Ogorki

The inspired premise of “An American Pickle” undoubtedly not only captures one's attention but also one's imagination. I was certainly looking forward to seeing this film, and whilst it didn't completely disappoint me when I did, it fell very short of my expectations. Ultimately, the humour was hit and miss, and overall lacked imagination. Ethnic slurs such as "dumb Polacks" don't amuse, and Hollywood Jewish comedian Mr Rogen should show far more creative and innovative flair to carry a film. I voted that it's got too much swearing, as there's no button for 'too much dumb racist jokes'. Spend your hard earned cash on a jar of genuine 'Made in Poland' pickles, rather than 'An American Pickle', and you'll be far more satisfied.
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What's the Story?

In AN AMERICAN PICKLE, Herschel Greenbaum (Seth Rogen) is an immigrant U.S. worker in 1919 who endures hard times but marries the girl of his dreams, Sarah (Sarah Snook), and lands a job clubbing rats in a pickle factory. He falls into a pickle vat just as the factory is closed down. One hundred years later, Herschel is discovered, perfectly preserved. He learns he has a great-grandson, Ben (also Rogen), an app designer who lives in modern-day Brooklyn. They visit Sarah's grave, and Herschel is incensed by a billboard. He tries to cut it down, but he and Ben are arrested. Then, because of the arrest, Ben can't sell his app. They fight, and Herschel storms off to start his own pickle business (using what he can find in the trash), while Ben tries to sabotage his work. Can these two outcasts become a family?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (5 ):

An uncharacteristically low-key comedy for Rogen, this comedy is hit-and-miss overall, but Rogen's accomplished double performance and the movie's sweet, winning attitude eventually carry the day. Directed by Brandon Trost, a cinematographer on other Rogen movies like This Is the End and The Disaster Artist, from a story and screenplay by SNL writer Simon Rich, An American Pickle is essentially a one-man show. The second-billed actor, the talented Snook, appears only in the movie's first 10 to 15 minutes. And other performers appear only for a couple of minutes each.

But Rogen nails it. His Herschel starts out as a bit of a caricature, rolling his dialogue through a comic Eastern European accent. But eventually his cleverness and heart come through. And as Ben, Rogen has created perhaps his sweetest character to date: He's kind (his first reaction to Herschel is to invite him to stay in his apartment), hopeful, and even a little timid. The fish-out-of-water jokes and family-feud jokes aren't really enough to sustain a feature-length movie (not even a tight 90-minute one), but they're sporadically funny, and they continue into the final act (where many comedies tend to drop the jokes in favor of wrapping up the plot). In short, An American Pickle offers enough crispy, crunchy giggles to make it worth a look.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about An American Pickle's violence. How much blood is shown? How is it used to illustrate the sequences set in 1919? How do they differ from the modern sequences?

  • What's the relationship like between the two Greenbaums? How is it similar to, or different from, your own family relationships?

  • What is a "fish out of water" story? Have you ever been in a situation in which you felt like you didn't belong? How can people help each other in these kinds of situations? How does the way Herschel speaks about others and sees the world set him apart from Ben and his contemporaries?

  • In the story, Ben is reluctant to submit his app because he "wants it to be perfect." Have you ever felt that way when working on a project? How do you know when something is finished?

  • Ben and Herschel get a happy ending after they find a way to achieve financial success. Is financial success the only way to find happiness? What are some others?

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