The film features Seth Rogen playing two characters: Herschel, an Eastern European Jewish immigrant from the early 1900s, and Ben, his last living relative. It's amusing to note that Seth Rogen manages to look comical even when he isn’t actually being humorous. So why is *An American Pickle* so lacking in humor (I managed one laugh)? I suspect having two Rogens on screen somehow diminishes the comedic effect. Another thought I had is that the filmmakers were aiming for something like a Woody Allen film from the early to mid-1970s, reminiscent of *Sleeper* and *Love and Death*. The issue here is that Allen himself stopped creating movies in that style roughly fifty years ago—and even he used cryopreservation in *Sleeper*, which at least sounds somewhat scientific, unlike preserving someone’s body in brine. A lot of the supposed conflict arises from a billboard advertising vodka placed near Herschel and Ben's family burial plot. Herschel is determined to purchase this billboard, reportedly costing $200,000, and take it down. It’s worth pointing out that the billboard faces the cemetery, not the road, and Ben hasn’t visited the plot in at least five years, so he hasn't even seen the advertisement himself. The film never explains why this particular billboard would be both incredibly expensive and utterly pointless. It's also strange to consider what the chances are that Herschel and Ben, separated by a century and several generations of descendants (hopefully marrying outside their own community), could resemble identical twins. It’s not likely, especially when you see old family photos showing that none of Herschel's children or grandchildren look anything like him or Ben. The only explanation for this genetic improbability seems to be the need for mistaken identity during the film's ending. That’s all there is to it. Trying to figure out why this movie exists, I briefly considered interpreting it as an allegory for Donald Trump’s ascent to power. After all, Herschel is a prejudiced and insensitive person who makes offensive statements but also possesses business acumen that leads to popularity and success. The fact that he doesn't learn anything or face consequences suggests my interpretation might be accurate. However, I then realized two things: first, even if my idea were correct, the movie would need to be entertaining before it could function as satire; and second, I’d be overestimating the filmmakers’ intentions, since they probably just wanted to create a live-action version of *An American Tail*.

Source on TMDB