Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Mild
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- None
- witty
- cantankerous
- sincere
- lazy sunday
- casual movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly found the inventive premise and Seth Rogen's dual performance appealing, while considering the comedy uneven and less substantial than its setup suggests.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Herschel awakens after a century preserved in brine and struggles to understand contemporary Brooklyn while retaining his old-world assumptions.
Seth Rogen plays both Herschel and Ben, presenting an old-fashioned laborer and his modern great-great-grandson as sharply different personalities.
The preserved ancestor's return forces Ben to confront family history, loss, and the difficulty of belonging across generations.
Yiddish language, Jewish family ties, immigrant history, and Herschel's Brooklyn pickle-making life shape the film's comic worldview.
Films like An American Pickle, and why
Blast from the Past
shared fish out of water premise, warm absurdist comedy, and intergenerational family tension
Encino Man
shared time-displacement comedy, culture shock, and affectionate social satire
The Nutty Professor
shared dual-role comic performance, family reconciliation, and bittersweet humor
Keeping the Faith
shared jewish american identity, contemporary relationship friction, and character-driven comedy-drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Brandon Trost
- Release Date
- 2020-08-06
- Runtime
- 89 min
- Rating
- 5.8 / 10 (623)
Cast
- Seth Rogen
- Sarah Snook
- Molly Evensen
- Eliot Glazer
- Kalen Allen
- Kevin O'Rourke
- Sean Whalen
- Geoffrey Cantor
- Carol Leifer
- Jorma Taccone
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is An American Pickle about?
- A century-preserved Brooklyn immigrant collides with his modern descendant in a sweetly abrasive comedy about family, identity, and adapting to change.
- What is An American Pickle like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of An American Pickle as brisk, its intensity as mild and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is An American Pickle violent?
- No — Ember's analysis finds no violence in An American Pickle.
- What did critics think of An American Pickle?
- Critics broadly found the inventive premise and Seth Rogen's dual performance appealing, while considering the comedy uneven and less substantial than its setup suggests.
- Which films are like An American Pickle?
- Films with a similar feel include Blast from the Past, Encino Man, The Nutty Professor, and Keeping the Faith.
- How long is An American Pickle?
- An American Pickle runs 89 minutes.
- Where can I watch An American Pickle?
- In United States, An American Pickle is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home, Plex.
