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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
When the roster of films and television series dropping on HBO Max was announced earlier this spring, we didn’t know what to expect. Now that the streaming service has been out for over two months, we have an idea. I had a chance to get an early viewing of An American Pickle, directed by Brandon Trost (This Is the End, The Interview, The Disaster Artist) in his directorial debut and written by Simon Rich (Saturday Night Live, Man Seeking Woman, Miracle Workers). The film is based on Rich’s four-part short story, “Sell Out,” written and published on The New Yorker in 2013. (I was able to read this twice as well to brush up on the story’s source material, and if you have not read it, I advise you to check it out to be more familiar with the plot.)
This comedy-drama follows Seth Rogen in a dual role as Herschel Greenbaum and great-grandson Ben Greenbaum. Herschel is an Eastern European immigrant who moved to America in the early twentieth century with his wife Sarah (Sarah Snook) for labor but had fallen into and preserved within the confines of a pickle barren for a century. He emerges in 2020 to find that the world he had once known is now changed vastly. Greenbaum meets his sole descendant Ben, who is also trying to make it big in the so-called Land of the Free.
The film’s cinematography by John Guleserian (About Time) seems to lack in some parts and can come off as awkward. On the other hand, the musical score by Nami Melumad is rather okay.
In terms of theme, both An American Pickle and its source material “Sell Out” do well as critiques of American living, juxtaposing the simple, yet obselete and quaint lifestyles of the 1920s and the technologically advanced world of modern times. The film sets an example for how Western society is adjusting to sensitivity regarding racism and sexism, with a hint of foreign immigration, examining social media, app development, and the cancel culture that they have created in the process. In comparison, the short story was more of a focus on capitalism as a detriment to society. The film also concentrates more on family as a theme, as both male protagonists yearn for somebody to fill in the emptiness in their lives. Additionally, religion is underlined here, whereas the short story makes it only prominent toward the end.
Unlike its source material, this film completely omits its crucial female character Claire, who served as the support for the former factory worker. This leaves more space for Ben to develop as he deals with his ancestor’s getting used to the newfound environment. Other background characters are used in some scenes but do not serve as moral support in the same capacity that Claire had.
Rogen performs best as “time-traveler” Herschel, who is as brave and relentless as portrayed in the short story. The actor’s performance of Ben as a foil to the ancestor is quite interesting, as the character is mostly present in the beginning of the short story and in its final scene. However, the pacing of this film breezes by briskly, missing out on smaller details and events of the original.
An American Pickle is a decent summer that is worth the watch if this is your first time getting familiar with Rich’s story. The production could use some improvement here and there, but its themes on religion, family, and juxtaposition of two time periods are noteworthy to say the least. The film makes some jabs at social media and digital technology, conveying the idea that nobody is perfect.
6.5/10
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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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