CERT: 15 | PLATFORM: DIGITAL + DVD | RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW

An American Pickle‘s Wikipedia page is funnier than its script. On paper, writer Simon Rich’s brine-soaked rags-to-riches story is goofy, endearing, sad, and laugh-out-loud funny. But director Brandon Trost’s attempt to bring all of that to the screen is remarkably self-defeating, mainly because it doesn’t lean hard enough into its absurdity. There are glimpses of a fun movie here, and as fleeting as they are, they do lend themselves well to its initial appeal.

After spending a century preserved in pickle brine, European ditch-digger-turned-rat-smasher Herschel Greenbaum awakes in modern-day Brooklyn, where he is unceremoniously thrust into the care of his great-grandson, Ben. Herschel’s archaic rigidity quickly clashes with Ben’s new-age struggles, resulting in the former striking out to prove Ben wrong and bring success to the Greenbaum family.

Like Rogen’s fish-out-of-water character, the film is big-hearted, well-meaning, and confused. It struggles to balance its narrative ambitions with its attempt to balance its warring tones, resulting in a lopsided product that never quite resonates the way it means to. There are chuckle-worthy moments, sure, but it’s all undercut by the fact that the movie frequently forgets how to have fun. The entire thing feels like a showcase for Rogen’s talents (which are, as usual, amazing), but it somehow doesn’t bolster him in a way that will endear him further.

Still, while An American Pickle doesn’t leave a lasting impression, it does divert and distract long enough for viewers to indulge its good-natured silliness. The film does have a heart, one that beats loudly and proudly. It may be undercooked and poorly seasoned, but An American Pickle brings up lessons about legacy that don’t end up being the point but are worth their weight in cucumbers anyway.