Review: An American Pickle
It’s a classic tale. An Eastern European man migrates to the United States looking for a fresh start and a new life in the land of promise, finds a factory job, lands into a vat of pickles and is preserved for 100 years, presumed dead. Wait. You haven’t heard this one?
Penned by SNL writer Simon Rich, Seth Rogen teamed up with Rich to produce and star in (twice over) the HBO release, An American Pickle. The movie plays like an SNL sketch at parts with absurd situations that lead to contrived conflict, but at its heart it’s still a good story with something to say about legacy.
The same way you might enjoy the 45 minute run time of an SNL episode, you’ll likely enjoy about the same chunk of time in this movie. If anything, the fact that Rogen plays modern day Ben as well as his great great grandfather, (the guy who fell in the pickle vat) Herschel is a showcase for Rogen's dramatic chops and hints at a promising future in similar roles.