MOVIE REVIEW: AN AMERICAN PICKLE

An immigrant worker falls into a vat of pickles and is brined for 100 years. The brine preserves him perfectly, and when he emerges in present day Brooklyn, he finds that he hasn't aged a day.

Director: Brandon Trost

Cast: Seth Rogen, Sarah Snook, Molly Evensen, Eliot Glazer, Kalen Allen

Release Date: August 6, 2019

Genre: Comedy

Rated PG-13 for some language and rude humor

Runtime: 1 h 28 min

Review:

An American Pickle is a fun farce that’s a bit more nuanced than it deserves to be.  The film has a light tone that makes it easier to overlook some of the choppiness in the story.  Brandon Trost skill’s as a director are still a bit raw and it shows in the uneven flow which leaves some dead spots here and there.  That being said Seth Rogen seems far more engaged than usual here playing the dual roles.  His two roles aren’t going to win any awards for subtleness but they are fun caricatures which work well for the film.  The film veers into various themes which hint at bigger ideas but sadly they aren’t explored in any sort of real depth.  What is surprising is its central theme of family and respecting your past gives the movie some real heart.  It gives the film a bit more depth than you’d except and is likely to leave a smile on your face once this brisk film is over. 


B-