History Film / AnAmericanPickle

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: After Herschel's antics get both him and Ben arrested, the latter has a hard time finding a job opportunity since no workplace would employ someone with a criminal record in good conscience.

Herschel Greenbaum (Creator/SethRogen) is a struggling Jewish laborer who moves from the East European country of Schlupsk to America in 1919, with dreams of building a better life for his beloved family. One day, while working at his factory job, he falls into a vat of pickles. The factory is then closed. The pickle brine preserves him perfectly and when he emerges in present-day Brooklyn 100 years later, he finds that he hasn't aged a day. But when he seeks out his family, he is horrified to learn that his only surviving relative is his great-grandson, Ben Greenbaum ([[ActingForTwo also played by Rogen]]), a single and mild-mannered computer programmer whom Herschel can't even begin to understand. Herschel then decides to motivate Ben into doing something in order to save the family.

It was released on August 6, 2020 on Creator/HBOMax as that streaming service's first original film, and saw theatrical release in a limited number of countries. It was then pulled from it in July 2022, but remains available on physical media and for digital purchase on other platforms.

* {{Ruritania}}: Herschel's country of origin is called "Schlupsk". It is a fictional country that's clearly meant to evoke what at the time was the Western region of the Russian Empire, which had lots of shtetls (towns with large Jewish populations), also known as the "Pale of Settlement".

It was released on August 6, 2020 on Creator/HBOMax as the latter streaming service's first original film, and saw theatrical release in a limited number of countries. It was later pulled from HBO Max in July 2022, but remains available on physical media and for digital purchase on other platforms.

It was released on August 6, 2020 on Creator/HBOMax as the latter streaming service's first original film, and saw theatrical release in a limited number of countries. It was later pulled from HBO Max in July 2022, but remains available for digital purchase on other platforms.

It was released on August 6, 2020 on Creator/HBOMax as the latter streaming service's first original film, and saw theatrical release in a limited number of countries.

''An American Pickle'' is an American comedy film directed by Brandon Trost (in his directorial debut). It is [[TheFilmOfTheBook based upon]] the 2013 novella ''Sell Out'' by Simon Rich, who also wrote the film.

* IdenticalGrandson: Herschel and his great-grandson Ben are both played by Seth Rogen, though it's mitigated since Herschel sports a full beard.

* NeverRecycleABuilding: The pickle factory where Herschel worked got closed down shortly after him falling into the vat of pickles, but then remains untouched for the next 100 years.

* LighterAndSofter: Zigzagged. While this is lighter and somewhat even family friendlier than most of Seth Rogen's other comedies that he co-produced (alongside ''Film/TheGreenHornet'' and ''Film/TheGuiltTrip'') for the most part due to only being rated PG-13 and not having the usual constant sex, drugs, and profanity you'd expect from an R-rated Seth Rogen comedy, on the other hand, this film does have more dramatic moments (but still is, for the most part, a comedy) and deals with a rather deep theme you wouldn't expect to see or hear from in a Seth Rogen comedy: '''troubled family relationships.''' Heck, it doesn't quite ''feel'' like the usual film you'd expect to see Seth Rogen appear in.

* RuleOfFunny: Suffice to say- No, you can't put billboard advertising so close it casts shade over grave markers.