American Pickle reaffirms what we already know: @Sethrogen is really funny and a superb actor and he doesn't know shit about Judaism.

The attempt to portray Herschel as a Tevye-like character is pretty obvious, the costume is pretty much where the resemblance ends.
Herschel is a money-grabbing hypocrite, obsessed with money, pickles, and cemeteries. I knew hundreds of Shtetl Yidden, they are nothing like that.

The problem is not just the bastardization and defamation of the memory of the Hershels of the world. The stereotypes that it perpetuates are beyond inaccurate, and in fact quite hateful and antisemitic.

Yes, Rogen might not give a damn about "Jews from the past" and thinks it makes good comedy material, but there are thousands of Yiddish-speaking Tzitzis-wearing cemetery-going jews that such a narrative has a potential to reinforce so many false stigmas that puts them in danger

This movie with its nearly genius plot was an opportunity to tell an important story, grapples with some real generational problems, but he chose to offer instead 90 minutes of cheap laughs at the expense of his/our ancestors. what a Shanda.

Watching the movie you get a sense that this is a bit autobiographical, with Seth Rogen of course being the Enlightened Ben. But thinking about it, he's actually Herschel, making money from selling us crap and selling out his own family in the process.

Also, the completely strange accent and mannerisms, the sleezy gibberish that’s supposed to be Yiddish. All of it goes to show how little effort was put in to portray something other than a silly caricature of a Shtetl Yid with no anchor in reality.

WTF @Sethrogen you gotta do Tshuvah