The Kellogg’s and Post feuding film Unfrosted was released on Netflix on May 3, bringing the silly history of the Pop-Tart to life and marking the first time that actor Jerry Seinfeld directed a film. According to The Hollywood Reporter, some reviewers have had some negative things to say about the film: some even going as far as to say it was Seinfeld’s worst film.
On the surface, the film seems like a fun watch, as it covers the famous breakfast pastry that has been a part of millions of Americans’ lives and has a star-studded cast bringing the film to life. Some of these performers include Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, Amy Schumer and Bill Burr.
The Chicago Sun Times titled their review “Jerry Seinfeld’s ‘Unfrosted’ is one of the decade’s worst movies,” calling the brand-named comedy “an astonishingly unfunny, deeply weird, live-action cartoon that is so clear-the-room dreadful it almost plays like a horror movie.”
Another publication that was on the same level as The Sun Times was The Daily Globe and Mail, calling the film “a steaming pile of [crap].” They also criticize how the main plot and background of the film sound like a Saturday Night Live skit, but Seinfeld stretches it to “an intolerable 90 minutes” long runtime.
THR does go on to highlight some of the nicer reviews of the film, such as The Washington Post saying that the film was a way for Seinfeld to get his comedy friends in a movie “to parody the current craze for trademark biopics,” referring to recent biopic films like the Air Jordans film Air and the creation of Flaming Hot Cheetos in Hulu’s Flamin’ Hot. They also compliment the film’s jokes. “About three gags land for everyone that gets stuck in the toaster.”
THR themselves also give credit to the mindlessness of the film as well, saying “For those willing to put aside reality for 90 minutes, as Unfrosted does with gusto, the Netflix movie whips up a frothy sendup of storytelling tropes and clichés.”
Audience reviews are also split in their opinion of the film as well. On Rotten Tomatoes, some audience members praised Seinfeld’s ability to direct and make the film. Jordan D wrote, “I laughed from the minute the little boy walked into the Norman Rockwell Painting to the outtakes at the end. Totally silly but a great laugh.”
However, some other audience members were not that receptive to the film, with Clifton H. saying it was full of “Hack jokes, not an interesting plot, and poor acting and directing. Overall disappointing and a waste of time. Jerry can’t act nor direct.”
Even with these criticisms, Seinfeld himself has stated the film isn’t supposed to be profound in any way. In an interview with NPR, Seinfeld said that the film’s only purpose is for audiences to “just watch it and hopefully get a laugh or two. That’s it.”
Unfrosted is available to watch on Netflix.
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