The year is 1920, the country is the Eastern European village of Schlupsk. Herschel Greenbaum (Seth Rogen) is a humble man who spends his life professionally digging ditches, which is difficult and tiresome work, but manages to win him the heart of his beloved, Sarah (Sarah Snook), who is initially unmoved by his flirtations, but eventually grows to be quite fond of him. With the influence of the vicious, violent Cossacks constantly impinging on their homeland, Herschel and Sarah decide to do what many of their fellow compatriots were doing, escaping the country and making their way to the United States, where they hoped they would be able to achieve the American Dream, something many people like them had been aspiring towards. Herschel takes up a job at the only place willing to hire an uneducated immigrant – a pickle factory, where he toils endlessly, but does so with nothing but good intentions, as he hopes to provide for Sarah and their future descendants. However, his attempts to build a future comes to a screeching halt when Herschel accidentally falls into a vat of vinegar, which is accidentally sealed, leaving him trapped inside. A century later, he is rescued – and having survived a hundred years (through being perfectly preserved in the pickling liquid), Herschel is something of a scientific marvel. The novelty of his existence wears off very soon, and he is sent to live with his only known relative, his great-grandson, Ben (Seth Rogen), a hipster living in Brooklyn, who works as a freelance app developer. Herschel is bewildered by the world he has been introduced to – technology confuses him, culture makes very little sense, and he recognizes very little. He wasn’t expecting the world of the future to look quite like this – but it turns out that he has quite a bit of catching up to do if he’s hoping to assimilate into the twenty-first century.

In all honesty, when I first heard that An American Pickle was going into production, I didn’t believe that it was a real film – Seth Rogen is a comedian who has a tendency towards bold ideas, and this just seemed like something that would be produced as a sketch on Saturday Night Live, rather than being an actual film – how else do you sell such a concept, especially when it is proposed as the vehicle for an actor who isn’t often known for his seriousness, and be immediately convinced that it wasn’t some elaborate prank? You can imagine the equal bewilderment and delight when it became clear that it was indeed a real film, which was only improved by the fact that it’s always quite exceptional. Perhaps slightly derivative, and far from the most original comedy of recent years, An American Pickle is quite a charming film, which takes a bold approach to a fun story, and turns it into an unconventionally inspiring piece of storytelling, which is as outrageously funny as it is unexpectedly moving, with irreverent humour and heartfelt emotion aplenty. Rogen, working with frequent collaborator Brandon Trost (in his directorial debut after proving himself a talented young cinematographer), and writer Simon Rich, who was in turn adapting his own short story, puts together one of the year’s most entertaining films, a work that may be relatively minor in both concept and inception, but like many of the most reliable comedies of recent years, strives to be enjoyable more than anything else – and if there’s something that can easily be said about An American Pickle, it is that it’s just about as entertaining as a film like this can possibly hope to be, and then some.

The concept of someone from the past somehow being transposed into the modern world isn’t new to fiction – speculative art has occasionally taken forays into this kind of story, particularly when it comes to creating comedies. It’s not difficult to see why these are often very popular since they allow artists to create something compelling from very little – these stories tend to be quite self-reflective and ruminate on modern existence in a way that allows it to address certain modern concept through what seems to be a new pair of eyes. This kind of perspective makes these projects fertile ground for meaningful, albeit often hilarious, forms of commentary. In this regard, An American Pickle may not be particularly revolutionary – but I’d argue that doesn’t really matter since the key to great comedy isn’t always to have the funniest jokes or the most original premise, but rather to take an idea and explore it well. This is the cornerstone of this film, which certainly does do exceptionally well in taking a taut idea and presenting it in a few that feels fresh, unique and most importantly, meaningful. An American Pickle succeeds because it knows what it wants to be, and it’s willing to go the distance and deliver exactly on what it promises, which in this form is just to be a likeable bit of comedy that has some smatterings of drama, creating quite an unforgettable atmosphere that blends upbeat comedy and more serious fare in quite unexpectedly effective ways. It presents modern life through the lens of a protagonist from the past who assimilates into the world of today by experiencing many of the changes that have happened over the past century. While this film certainly isn’t afraid to poke fun at contemporary existence, it never feels mean-spirited, nor does it convey that idea of the current generation paling in comparison to those of the past (as is a tendency for works that are built on the idea of the “good old days”, whatever that may refer to). Life today isn’t the same as it was in the past – and this is neither for better nor worse, but rather an objective fact that An American Pickle executes quite successfully, taking some surprising turns but remaining true to itself to the very end.

Seth Rogen occupies a really interesting place in the culture – he may be known best for his role in stoner comedies that make use of his easygoing millennial personality, and while he may have not deviated from this on the majority of occasions (with a few compelling outliers being present over the past decade), it’s not quite fair to write him off, since he is quite a talented actor. The best description for Rogen is that he’s an actor who likes to have a good time, rather than pursuing uninteresting material – he’s not a limited actor, he limits his choices of projects instead. An American Pickle seems like the kind of project Rogen would do, although not as the tenderhearted comedy-drama it turned out to be – and it shows the actor working slightly out of his comfort zone and delivering two exceptional performances. Kudos has to go to Rogen, as he really carries this film all on his own – the vast majority of An American Pickle sees Rogen acting across from himself in nearly all the scenes, and to be able to give a pair of compelling performances in such conditions is an impressive feat all on its own. It also helps that Rogen is fully-committed to both parts – he’s putting in a lot of effort into these characters, developing them far beyond simply being crude caricatures, and instead allowing them to flourish into fully-formed individuals in their own right. The film is essentially a one-man showcase for Rogen, and his ability to oscillate between the characters and give them distinct nuances is quite remarkable, even if neither role seems particularly challenging at first. If anything, An American Pickle proves that Rogen is a very strong actor when working from good material, and he puts his unique talents to incredible use throughout this film, which fundamentally seems to want to showcase his dedication to both parts. The result is a terrific performance that shows how far some commitment can go when the material is good enough.

An American Pickle is a wonderfully upbeat comedy that doesn’t take itself too seriously, but also doesn’t avoid some slightly more challenging material, which it openly embraces in quite an admirable way, venturing beyond the confines of what a story like this often tends to focus on, and instead finding a way to convey a certain message without becoming overwrought or stripping the film of its wonderfully unique charms, which manifest in some unexpected places throughout the film. Rogen proves himself to be a very capable actor, and while the film may not often be all that original, he compensates for its shortcomings by delivering two powerhouse performances that feel remarkably earnest and far from many of the more broad comedic spectacles he is often known for. Ultimately, An American Pickle isn’t an essential work – it’s not the kind of film that defines the genre or is remembered long after the viewer has experienced it. Instead, it’s the kind of well-meaning comedy with an interesting concept, a strong script and a lot of genuine heart, all of which go directly into constructing this film as a charming, thoroughly enjoyable affair that goes to some surprising places, both thematically and physically, and endeavours to give the viewer nothing but a good time – and its ability to do just that is proof that this is a very special film that deserves to have a decent viewership.