People! I’m going to watch Unfrosted 🙌
Jerry Seinfeld has directed a movie; a satirical look at the invention of the pop tart 💁♂️ It begins with Edsel Kellogg III (Jim Gaffigan), and his company of Kellogg’s cereal is flying right now, but his most unscrupulous rival, and perhaps secret love interest, Marjorie Post (Amy Schumer), does not seem too perturbed. Could it be that she is about to unveil the newest evolution in sugary breakfasts?! Kellogg’s has his top man, Bob Cabana (Jerry Seinfeld), reunite with his old engineering partner Donna Stankowski (Melissa McCarthy), to go back over old theories on pastry-based treats, and try to beat Post to the punch. Hilarious comedy ensues.
Maybe it’s the fact that I’ve been watching these serious and mostly disappointing sequels recently. Or maybe, caught up in the swell of Seinfeld protests and divisive commentary, I was influenced into having low expectations for Unfrosted… But this shit funny, man 😂 I had a great time, smiling from ear to ear throughout most of this crazy mocku-manufacturing horseplay on the pop tart. I don’t know about everyone else, but I thought the humour worked really well – the jokes that button the end of every scene probably worked for me nine times out of ten. Unfrosted is zippy – director Jerry Seinfeld has surely crammed a lot into a 90-minute runtime, exploring so many facets of the pop tart’s foundation, and I can just see Jerry Seinfeld sitting there, brainstorming what would go into creating such a thing, and stating, “well, milk would be pissed.” 😂 I thought the script was really sophisticated, going from the bowl room to the underhanded milk syndicate, and including motifs that recall moments in the atom bomb’s creation, in vogue since the recent Oppenheimer, and the ‘60s monumental moon landing. The speech given by Peter Dinklage, as milk’s chief enforcer, is the highlight, I reckon, filled with common milk analogies turned tough talk 😄 I shouldn’t be surprised, and am gladly not, that Seinfeld and this movie’s writing team, could produce a comedy that I really admire, sharing a few sensibilities with the classic Seinfeld on TV as well. Moreover, I just like how Jerry in Seinfeld was famous for his colourful cereal boxes, populating his kitchen shelves, so there’s a perfect symmetry in this being a starring vehicle, directorial endeavor and opportunity for forthright passion for Jerry Seinfeld, concerning an American staple.
Here in Australia, we don’t really care for the pop tart. But little did I realise how much of a target audience I would be for this movie, in actual fact, because I am a sucker for cereal. I’m not a big drinker, but cordial and cereal, these are my sweet spots. It’s the colours, the celebrations of fruity flavors, and the mascots, of course, not to be ignored 😏 Unfrosted is silly, inventive, and also admirable for the well-fitting old-timey musical choices. I pretty much knew this movie had a concentrated self-understanding, and hoped it would carry all the way though, when Tony the Tiger took off his helmet to reveal that Kellogg’s had hired a thespian Hugh Grant for the role – I am loving Grant’s career resurgence, in snooty, and often villainous, roles, starting back with The Gentlemen, and including Wonka, Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre and Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves 👍 The cast is grrreat; loaded too. Yet it’s more than just a “oh, who is going to be next?”, but a “Oh! Who is going to be next, and excel?!”. I’m personally wrapped for Kyle Dunnigan, who usually shoots his show alone in his house, along with his stupid dog – although now I remember that Seinfeld has actually been on Dunnigan’s internet show as well, so they are friends. But my biggest praise is for those dumpster kids – that girl especially, is pre-coc-ious, with a capital P! There’s also just the right amount of Melissa McCarthy, who I worry is almost played out doing the same kind of comedic schtick. I thought Jim Gaffigan was commendable, and since I don’t really buy in to the Amy Schumer hate, I was down for her as well.
I also admire Unfrosted for being a little like Barbie, in that it is unashamedly aligned with the products it is said to be celebrating, warts and all. It takes discernable negatives, like our modern understanding of high-fructose corn syrup, and wraps its arms around them as part and parcel of one of life’s wonderful sugary experience. There’s no detached irony masking itself as satire, which is a tremendous relief, because I’m so sick of that (my most famous example, regarding what I don’t like, is from Spider-Man: No Way Home, when Peter Parker and MJ laugh at how crazy the name “Otto Octavius” sounds – like, that’s his name, chumps, and it has been longer than you actors and writers have had hair in your armpits! Detached irony adds nothing to the conversation other than saying, “haha, bit silly, innit?”, and it’s especially annoying when it takes place in a space where fans have come to celebrate 😤 Anyway, rant over – what was I talking about? Oh, yeah, Unfrosted…)
Maybe this movie only holds an audience score of 51% on Rotten Tomatoes because people weren’t ready to snap-crackle-and-pop to the Seinfeld humour, but I was fully embracing of a somewhat nostalgic qualitative ride. Compared to recent attempts at similar styles of comedy – like the zany Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, and the brand-celebratory Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers – this experience sits above for me.
3.5
P.S. Mad Men! I love the relevance in their cameo, and how Seinfeld is able to literally take a backseat, giving props to some other iconic stars in service of a joke. Seinfeld does everything with a pointed satirical edge, and I also want to make mention of the dance number at the end, that lesser movies try to do to convince you that everything you’ve just seen has been a rollicking ride; and there’s usually a new pop song to adore, like it’s a frickin’ Trolls movie. You know Jerry’s version is a shot at those movies, and it’s only funny because they commit to the bit – the bit being, that these things are so common and fun, that we’re doing them too!
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