An American Pickle

Some moviegoers might sour on the thought of Seth Rogen in a dual role, but the goofy culture-clash comedy An American Pickle has a sweet aftertaste.

However strained in its effort to stretch a one-joke premise to feature length, this lighthearted examination of family heritage and rediscovering your roots is charming when it remains focused on the sometimes contentious relationship between a Jewish immigrant and his great-grandson.

The twist is that they happen to be the same age, so Rogen can play them both. Let’s explain. Herschel emigrates from Russia to Brooklyn in 1919 to flee Cossack persecution and chase the American dream, only to fall unnoticed into a barrel of brine at the pickle factory where he works.

He wakes up 100 years later, perfectly preserved, and is introduced to Ben, his millennial descendant who is into yoga and coding. Obviously they have little in common.

Nevertheless, they ride scooters and share homemade seltzer together, and eventually visit the rundown cemetery where Herschel’s late wife (Sarah Snook) is buried. A distasteful adjacent billboard reveals Herschel’s ability to hold a grudge. “You will take down vanilla vodka, or I will do violence,” he screams in his Yiddish accent.

To raise money for its destruction, Herschel decides to start selling pickles on the street. He becomes a viral sensation, but his efforts undermine Ben’s own entrepreneurial dreams, creating a rift that threatens to destroy their already fragile intergenerational bond.

Although it requires considerable buy-in to connect emotionally, the film achieves some bittersweet resonance to go with scattered big laughs — a throwaway exchange about a David Bowie poster is a hilarious highlight.

The directorial debut of cinematographer Brandon Trost (The Disaster Artist) keeps the pace lively rather than bogging down in logistical details. The screenplay by Simon Rich, based on his short story, pokes fun at contemporary trends through Herschel’s eyes — such as our obsession with artisanal and organic foods — during an age when success is often judged by social-media engagement.

With that said, the film briefly loses its way in the second half, when it transitions awkwardly into a satire about cancel culture, knee-jerk political correctness, and media sensationalism. Those broad topical targets are deserving of ridicule, yet this effort is hit-and-miss.

Rather, An American Pickle is better when it’s merely silly and less ambitious, most satisfying as a cinematic snack rather than a four-course meal.

Rated PG-13, 88 minutes.