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Movie Review: Unfrosted
July 29, 2024
By Bessy ADUT
I was excited to hear a movie was directed by Jerry Seinfeld, who happens to be one of my favorite comedians of all time. I used to binge-watch Seinfeld for a long time; me and my friends still refer to the episodes and jokes. This was a sense of humor I could really relate to and I don’t think this necessarily has to do with me being Jewish because people from all over the world loved this show. Seinfeld has been one of the most popular shows ever with its amazing cast chemistry, good writing, and all taking place in small locations, also including the magic of performing in front of live audience at times.
The movie is easy to find on Netflix. It’s a family entertainment that parents can watch with their kids and enjoy together. It’s a light-hearted comedy.
I have recently also heard Jerry Seinfeld getting good and bad attention because of his political expression of speech. That might also explain why the movie reviews seem to be at %50 on both sides. Or it may be simply due to the audience's high expectations. As I was saying, the film received mixed reviews.
This comedy film was directed as Jerry Seinfeld's feature directorial debut. It was written with 4 co-writers, I guess that’s how jokes come about; Spike Feresten, Barry Marder, and Andy Robin. Jerry’s wife, Jessica Seinfeld also has a camera appearance.
In the cast ensemble, we have funny ladies Melissa McCarthy and Amy Schumer and gentlemen Jim Gaffigan, Max Greenfield, and Hugh Grant.
What is it about?
It is not about anything! The film is about the funny creation of Pop-Tarts which made me wonder about the possibility of product placement. The film was produced by Seinfeld and Feresten, and released by Netflix. It took me a while to write about as the Jewish Film Festival came in the midst.
The movie starts sweet, with an older gentleman telling a story of Pop-Tarts to a young boy at a diner. I do enjoy stories with such storytelling.
We are taken to the 1960s with a flashback to the Kellogg's in Michigan. Their competitive company comes up with some junk food, in the movie, that children love. Bob decides to bring a team of experts to make a similar product.
The story continues to take funny, very serious twists and turns. Then we get to the title “Pop-Tart” similar to ‘Pop art”. We see the competition in the food industries and the process in a very humoring way.
In the end, the boy is skeptical if Pop-Tart could have been so powerful to stop bullets and the ravioli creature. Bob tells him he just made up that story to entertain him so he doesn’t get bored while waiting for his parents. In the end, the ravioli creature appears from Bob’s pocket. That is a nice little wink at the end of the movie.
The movie was based on a joke Jerry told about the creation of Pop-Tart. He was offered to direct, produce, co-write, and star in the film. High Grant even gave an audition tape for Jerry. The movie was filmed in California. The film was promoted with a joke on the collaboration of Kellogg's and Netflix as “Not brought to you by Pop-Tarts.”
There is a nice original score composed for the film by Christophe Beck, and “Sweet Morning Heat” was sung by Meghan Trainor and Jimmy Falon.
In terms of the critics, it was divided in half as I mentioned earlier. Rotten Tomatoes says: "Much like a preservative-packed toaster pastry, Unfrosted is sweet and colorful, yet it's ultimately an empty experience that may leave the consumer feeling pangs of regret." I would agree that it was sweet and colorful yet lacked depth. I do like this comment, Variety reviewer Owen Gleiberman calls it "an agreeably flaked-out piece of surrealist vaudeville" and concludes "Unfrosted, in its way, is a quintessential comedian’s movie. It thumbs its nose at everything without necessarily believing in anything. Yet it has an agreeable crunch." And last but not least; critic Bessy’s comment: “This is a movie to just watch while lying on your sofa, to relax and laugh with your loved ones, without taking it too seriously. Laugh a little.”
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