Seth Rogen does double duty in sweet HBO Max fable 'An American Pickle'

“An American Pickle” - ★ ★ ½

The funniest part of “An American Pickle” isn't even really in the movie. It's a little scene in the middle of the credits in which Seth Rogen's Herschel Greenbaum, a 1920s laborer who wakes up 100 years after falling into a vat of pickle juice, watches “Yentl” with his millennial great-grandson Ben Greenbaum (also Rogen). Their interaction is sharp and light and lively and fully inspired; Rogen has fun imagining how a stoic Jewish man from a century ago would react to seeing Barbra Streisand. It's a delight. Why it didn't fit in the movie is anyone's guess, but it could have used a few more like it.

“An American Pickle” is a little more serious and heartfelt than you might expect from a Rogen joint. Based on a short story by humorist Simon Rich, who also wrote the script, it's a classic fish out of water (or pickle juice) tale.

The film has a strong opening in the sepia-toned past in a fictional shtetl where Herschel is a very unsuccessful ditch digger. Life is hard in Eastern Europe, but he finds love there in Sarah (Sarah Snook), who still has all of her teeth. Still, bad luck keeps following: Russian Cossacks chase them out of town and they flee to America. The only job he can get is as a rat chaser at a pickle factory. He has his accident soon after discovering that he's going to be a father.

Naturally, he misses everything that comes next until suddenly he's getting a crash course about life in modern Brooklyn from his great-grandson, Ben. They attempt to navigate their differences until an altercation lands both in jail and jeopardizes the sale of Ben's app. For Ben, this means war against his only living relative.

Herschel, meanwhile, becomes a bit of a local celebrity selling pickles that he's made from gutter water and dumpster cucumbers that the hipsters adore for its gritty authenticity. The good-hearted skewering of millennial DIY culture feels a little dated (although so does everything from before quarantine). The film also takes on a decidedly “Being There” tone as Herschel becomes a sort of folk hero for his simple, antiquated views.

But this is all a backdrop for the bigger themes about family and heritage. Ben has been cut off from his: His parents died in a car crash and he seems wholly disinterested in where he came from. Herschel is perplexed why among all the things in his apartment there are no pictures of family and why religion is not part of his life. It's surprisingly sweet and moving.

“An American Pickle” is the directorial debut of Brandon Trost, a cinematographer by trade who is used to working with Rogen (“This Is the End,” “The Interview,” “Neighbors”). And this is a lot of Rogen. It's fun to see him flex and stretch acting opposite himself. He doesn't get enough credit for his more serious turns and this is a nice showcase overall.

The film was supposed to be a theatrical release, before HBO Max acquired it for streaming, which is probably the best of all worlds for this kind of picture: A solid film with a few good gags and a fair amount of heart.

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Starring: Seth Rogen, Sarah Snook

Directed by: Brandon Trost

Other: An HBO Max release. Rated PG-13 for language and rude humor. 90 minutes