After watching Unfrosted, the first thing that sprang to mind was, “What the heck did I just watch?” The movie, directed, co-written, and starring Jerry Seinfeld, lasted 1 hour and 33 minutes. I hate to say it, but that is time I will never get back. Listed as a Biography, Comedy, and History, Unfrosted feels like some sort of twisted trifecta of breakfast cereal.
Synopsis
The history portion of the film shows the “houses” of each cereal brand. The two most powerful being Kellogg’s and Post. They compete, of course they do, for the bowls of America. Not just any bowl, but children’s breakfast bowls. Each company is struggling to be number one.
Into this war on breakfast foods, the pop tart is born.
The players
Boasting a very solid cast, Unfrosted should have been comedy gold. Jim Gaffigan, Hugh Grant, Amy Schumer, Melissa McCarthy and a number of SNL alumni should have made this “biopic” about breakfast pastry a no brainer. Seinfeld and his co-writers even included a nod to Mad Men’s two “johns” Hamm and Slattery who appeared in a cameo about advertising the new product.
The question that comes immediately to mind is this: How on earth did so many talented people manage to make such a klunker of a film? Sadly, it appears that all the players had more fun making Unfrosted, than I had watching it. The gag reel, or outtakes, showed everyone involved having a glorious time.
*Side note: The young actor playing George, Isaac Bae looks as I imagine Ken Jeong looked as a child. This chap impressed mightily. He managed to convey a noteworthy performance. Mercifully for him, his appearance in the film was brief. Speaking of Ken, Unfrosted could have benefitted by having him in their ranks.*
Having praised Isaac Bae, kudos also go to the other young actors in the film. The dumpster duo gave polished nuances to their roles. Each managing to pretty much blow the adults off the screen.
What the heck
After watching Unfrosted I was not really sure where this story fit. In terms of comedy? It was not even remotely amusing. Biography? Only in the broadest sense of the term. History? Yes, but only faintly.
Some of the jokes are mildly amusing. Tang for instance was worth a chuckle, but only one. This Jerry Seinfeld project fell far short of whatever it was meant to be. I will admit, Seinfeld has never struck me as funny. Perhaps that is the problem? Either way, the feeling of what the heck did I just watch, took away any possible enthusiasm for Unfrosted.
The trailer below looks better than the actual film. It is streaming on Netflix and if you have a hour and a half to spare, see what you think. We give it a scant 2.5 stars out of 5. Pop a bowl of popcorn so you will have something to do while not laughing at this tepid comedy.
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