An American Pickle (2020)

An immigrant worker at a pickle factory is accidentally preserved for 100 years and wakes up in modern-day Brooklyn.

Director:

Brandon Trost

Writers:

Simon Rich (screenplay by), Simon Rich (based on the short story entitled "Sell Out" written by)

Stars:

Seth Rogen, Sarah Snook, Molly Evensen

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Seth Rogen	...	Herschel Greenbaum / Ben Greenbaum
Sarah Snook	...	Sarah Greenbaum
Molly Evensen	...	Clara
Eliot Glazer	...	Christian
Kalen Allen	...	Kevin
Kevin O'Rourke	...	Dane Brunt
Sean Whalen	...	Scientist
Geoffrey Cantor	...	David Greenbaum
Carol Leifer	...	Susan Greenbaum
Jorma Taccone	...	Liam
Marsha Stephanie Blake	...	Inspector Sanders
Alyse Zwick	...	News Anchor
Dalon Huntington	...	Border Patrol Agent
J Michael Grey	...	Border Patrol Agent (as J. Michael Grey)
Efka Kvaraciejus	...	Fish Monger

Storyline

A simple Jewish man named Herschel Greenbaum works in a pickle factory in Brooklyn. One day he falls into a vat of brine and stays there, perfectly preserved, for 100 years. He comes back to life and goes to stay with his great-great-grandson, Ben, in contemporary Brooklyn.

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Plot Keywords:

immigrant | jewish | brooklyn | yiddish | pickled cucumber | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some language and rude humor

Did You Know?

Trivia

A good portion of the film was shot in Pittsburgh, PA in late 2018.

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Goofs

When Herschel and Sarah are getting married, Sarah is on the right when the photo is taken. When Ben shows Herschel the photo album, Sarah is on the left.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Herschel Greenbaum: We pray now.
[Ben nods. Hershel looks at him, quizzically]
Herschel Greenbaum: You don't mind?
Ben Greenbaum: I don't mind.

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Crazy Credits

In the film's mid-credit scene, both Hershel and Ben are watching Yentl (1983), starring Barbra Streisand.

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Connections

References Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

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Soundtracks

Crustacean
Written by Nyles Lannon (as Nyles T. Lannon)
Performed by Mirror People
Courtesy of PEN Music Group, Inc.

User Reviews

Very meh

The movie started off good with the scenes from old world Europe but the transition to life in America was too fast and more could've been brought out before Herschel fell in the vat of pickles. After that, the movie was pretty slow and just not that funny or enjoyable. There was a heart warming moment at the end very in line with Rogen's other heartfelt comedies but that was pretty much the only highlight in the movie with the rest being barely watchable. Almost seemed kind of fetishizing Jewish shtetl life outside the final scenes of the movie which as mentioned above, were nice and heartfelt. Surprised this was on HBO to be honest. 4/10

Details

Official Sites:

HBO Max

Country:

USA

Language:

English Hebrew

Release Date:

6 August 2020 (USA)

Also Known As:

In a Pickle

Filming Locations:

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$499,649

Company Credits

Production Co:

Point Grey Pictures, Gravitational Productions, Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1