| An American Pickle | |
|---|---|
| |
| Directed By | Brandon Trost |
| Screenplay By | Simon Rich |
| Cast | Seth Rogen, Molly Evensen, Sarah Snook, Eliot Glazer |
| Produced By | Evan Goldberg, Seth Rogen, James Weaver |
| Cinematography By | John Guleserian |
| Film Editing By | Lisa Zeno Churgin |
| Music By | Michael Giacchino, Nami Melumad |
| Studio | Gravitational Productions, Point Grey Pictures, Warner Bros., Sony |
| Distributed By | HBO Max |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Release Date | August 6, 2020 |
| Runtime | 89 Minutes |
| Rating | PG-13 |
Overview[]
Plot[]
Full Plot of An American Pickle (2020)[]
In 1919, Herschel Greenbaum, a struggling Jewish laborer from Eastern Europe, immigrates to America with his wife, Sarah, dreaming of a prosperous future. He finds a job killing rats in a Brooklyn pickle factory and works hard to save money for a proper Jewish burial site for his family. One day, while working, he falls into a vat of pickles. Before anyone notices, the factory is shut down, and Herschel is accidentally preserved in the brine for 100 years.
In 2019, Herschel is discovered when construction workers open the abandoned factory. Scientists confirm that his preservation was scientifically possible, and he becomes a media sensation. However, he soon learns that his wife and all his descendants have passed away—except for his great-grandson, Ben Greenbaum, a mild-mannered app developer living in Brooklyn.
Herschel is eager to bond with Ben, but their personalities clash. Herschel is tough, opinionated, and rooted in old-world traditions, while Ben is modern, passive, and struggling with his career. Their differences come to a head when Herschel discovers that a billboard for a Russian vodka company has been built over the cemetery where Sarah is buried. He tries to get Ben to help him fight for its removal, but Ben is uninterested. This angers Herschel, who criticizes Ben for lacking ambition and strong values. In retaliation, Ben insults Herschel’s outdated views.
Determined to succeed on his own, Herschel decides to start a pickle business using cucumbers and rainwater from trash cans. Despite his crude methods, his homemade pickles become popular with Brooklyn hipsters, who admire his authenticity. However, Ben, still bitter, secretly sabotages him by reporting him to the health department, leading to Herschel's business being shut down.
Herschel then attempts to use social media to promote his traditional values, but his unfiltered, old-fashioned views quickly get him into trouble. He makes controversial statements that go viral, turning him into a symbol of both admiration and outrage. Eventually, he is "canceled" and forced into hiding. Seeing an opportunity, Ben tricks Herschel into fleeing to Canada, claiming it's for his safety. However, Herschel accidentally takes Ben's phone and wallet instead, leaving Ben stranded without identification.
Herschel, now pretending to be Ben, accesses his great-grandson’s bank account and sneaks into his apartment. He then ruins Ben’s app development project by tweeting offensive messages from Ben’s account, causing him to lose everything. Meanwhile, Ben is arrested for trying to cross back into the U.S. without ID.
Eventually, Herschel realizes he has gone too far. He visits Ben in jail and apologizes. The two reconcile and escape police custody, heading back to their ancestral cemetery. They team up to take down the offensive billboard and honor their family’s memory. With a newfound understanding of each other, they restart their lives together, blending old traditions with modern sensibilities.
The film ends with Herschel and Ben growing closer, working together, and embracing their shared heritage.
Cast[]
- Seth Rogen as Herschel Greenbaum / Ben Greenbaum
- Sarah Snook as Sarah Greenbaum
- Molly Evensen as Clara
- Eliot Glazer as Christian
- Kalen Allen as Kevin
- Kevin O'Rourke as Dane Brunt
- Sean Whalen as Scientist
- Geoffrey Cantor as David Greenbaum
- Carol Leifer as Susan Greenbaum
- Jorma Taccone as Liam
- Marsha Stephanie Blake as Inspector Sanders
- Alyse Zwick as News Anchor
- Joanna Adler as Kim Ecklund
- Liz Cackowski as Susan O'Malley
- Tim Robinson as Prosecuting Attorney
- Betsy Sodaro as Defense Attorney
- Michael Weaver as Judge
- Raymond Neil Hernandez as Officer Kadushin
- Ian Poake as Devon
- Dionysius Akeem as Cliff
- Nick Arapoglou as Todd
- Emily Austin as Yoga Girl
- Paul Castro Jr. as Freegan
- Kristin Cochell as Nika
- Tony Ho as Feng
- Cassandra Keegan as Drunk Wife
- David Mattey as Ivan
- Patricia McBride as ESL Instructor
- Nadia Raphael-Abdelaal as Priya
- Jordan Rhone as Billy
- Erin Scerbak as Mitra
- Quinta Brunson as Female Interviewee