Unfrosted

It was 1963 and I remember it well. No, not because of Pop Tarts but because I graduated from high school and started college in 1963. I do vividly remember the Cuban Missile Crisis where Russia was forced to turn back ships carrying weapons headed for Cuba.

So, is "Unfrosted" a good movie? Well, the answer depends on the viewers and what they are looking for. This is a Jerry Seinfeld creation and as such has humor reminiscent of the now defunct "Seinfeld" TV series. That is to say it is a dumb but witty movie with gags based on many real events.

Seinfeld plays Bob Cabana who in fact was NOT the actual force behind the creation of Pop Tarts, instead he was the Associate Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. The real inventor of Pop Tarts was Bill Post, not associated with the Post family of cereal fame.

Many things in 1963 were included in the humor but also something more modern. When it came time for the new Pop Tarts to be "certified" a group of Post supporters stormed the Kellog headquarters, the leader was a Shaman dressed in a head set with horns, a clear parody of the January 6th storming of the US Capitol to try to prevent certification of the 2020 Presidential election results.

So, is it a good movie? My wife abandoned it about half-way, to her it was just too dumb. I watched it all the way and was entertained. It isn't a particularly good movie but it is entertaining if you like that sort of thing. I have seen a bunch of worse movies.

At home, streaming.

Maybe I built up "Unfrosted" too much, in my mind. When I heard about this movie, I got excited. And when I saw the cast, I nearly hyperventilated. But, when I finally watched it, I fell asleep.

This movie had so much potential and it had some really funny moments. But it lacked so many elements that make a great comedy movie. It needed frosting.

The look and feel of the movie was retro and bright and cool. It had a "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" vibe with a quick and witty script, snappy interactions, and a very intentional pacing. What it was missing is heart and moments that make you care about the characters. It was as if they made a script out of one of Seinfeld's bits (which they sort of did). It was like one long joke that never paused to let jokes land or slowed to build a connection with the audience. It was as if it was written by a first time director and screen writer (which is also true). This movie needs to go back to the creators and be re-written.

There are comedy and acting icons in this movie. I wish someone had stopped to ask them for their input on the scenes they were in. Or, watch season one and two of "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" and follow that blueprint.

"Unfrosted" felt rushed, like they had to get the plot and all of the jokes in by a certain time, but character development, chemistry, and connection with the audience wasn't a concern. There is beauty in silence and pauses between delivered lines. The audience needs time to marinate about what they have watched, from time to time.

I was also disappointed that none of the cast from "Seinfeld" had cameos. This is a movie where Jason Alexander would have shined and Julia Louis-Dreyfus makes everything better simply with her presence.

"Unfrosted" was underwhelming. Tons of potential with moments of laughter and times where it hits the target. It should be re-made, but this time add some frosting.

Is this the funniest movie I've ever seen? No. But it is definitely the funniest movie I've seen lately. And that's quite an accomplishment, considering I'd have no reservations about watching this with my 8 year old nephew. Of course, a lot of the humor would be over his head, but who would have thought that a movie so utterly unobjectionable could also be so funny? Kudo's to Jerry Seinfeld, because I think he's succeeded in making a live action movie with a level of comedy similar to classic cartoons. You know what I'm talking about- absurd, slapstick, yet with that bit of wry, adult humor that the kids don't get but the adults find very funny. Not to mention that this movie also probably has one of the best comedy ensemble casts of all time. Granted, it may have gotten a little too silly at a few points, but no movie is perfect. I'm really surprised to hear people hating on it so much. I went in with very low expectations based on the reviews, but I was literally laughing consistently through the whole thing. The world could use more comedy like this. Nice work Jerry!

This feels like that Dick Turpin series on Apple TV: proof that no matter how talented the cast of comedians, if the script ain't funny, it ain't funny. It starts off like a weird but charming mix of Willy Wonka and Airplane, but then descends into a big budget car crash.

I imagine Jerry Seinfeld went to Netflix and said "I'd like to make a film about my love of cereal and I can get my mates to act in it" and at no point during production did anyone tell him that maybe it's not working.

It does have a couple of funny bits but outstays it's welcome by 90 mins. Enough here to fill a wacky sketch. But when 30 mins of jokes rely on them misnaming Pop Tarts "Trat Pop", you know you're in trouble. Avoid.

Unfrosted mixes a bunch of comedians together in a silly story and the result is about as good as eating Pop-Tarts. It's not great, but it's enjoyable enough if you're in the right mood. If this were a short comedy sketch on Saturday Night Live it would probably be pretty popular. The humor is very on-the-nose. It's not trying to be subtle at all. You can tell that the cast probably had a great time hanging out while making the movie, and most likely made up some of the jokes on the spot. I laughed a few times but, much like eating a Pop-Tart, I felt a little let down by the experience afterwards.