In Unfrosted, it’s the early 1960s and in the town of Battle Creek, Michigan, breakfast cereal manufacturer, Kellogg’s is leading the way when it comes to early morning sweet treats. The company is lording it over nearest rival, Post, and scooping various industry awards in the process.
However, when Kellogg’s Head of Development, Bob Cabana gets wind of a new product currently under development at Post, he starts to become concerned. Kellogg’s can’t let Post get the edge on the breakfast table, so he must usher in a new, innovative product which can blow their rivals out of the kitchen.
Working with a NASA scientist, a super computer, and a team of experts, Bob gets to work on a new wonder food. But will this product revolutionise morning meals and ensure Kellogg’s remains a leading name in the industry?
Directed, co-written, co-produced, and starring Jerry Seinfeld, Unfrosted is a comedy loosely inspired by the development of the Pop-Tart. I say “loosely inspired by” as the movie is largely based around a Seinfeld sketch which has been fleshed out.
The film does not provide an actual blow-by-blow account of the creation of the breakfast pastry. The movie is instead a fictionalised story played for laughs.
Rather than fact, the emphasis here is on fun. Unfrosted is intentionally daft, with the aim of chucking humour at a presumably humourless origin story, which has sort of been made up for the purposes of entertainment.
So, does this mean Unfrosted is hilarious stuff? Erm… no, but there are some chuckles.
While it’s doubtful anyone will be laughing themselves into a bowl of Coco Pops, Unfrosted has moments which will at least tickle the ribs. Largely this comes from the absurdity of the film, more so than the gags, but take the laughs where you can get them as they are the best thing about the picture.
Outside of the humour, the film is a bit hit and miss. It starts off fine, but the story runs out of steam pretty quickly and it sure does drag in places.
The real treat in Unfrosted (or the prize inside the cereal box if you will), is the film’s supporting cast, which includes the likes of Melissa McCarthy, Amy Schumer, and Christian Slater amongst others. Unfrosted features plenty of famous faces, who are dotted throughout the film, and these actors at least help to keep things interesting when the sugary weirdness wears off.
The best of these stars is Hugh Grant, who pops up as a Shakespearean actor slumming it as Tony the Tiger. Similar to his roles in Paddington 2, Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves and Wonka, Grant steals every scene he can, and is on fine form delivering comedy.
Outside of the above, the only other thing to recommend in Unfrosted is director/writer/producer/star, Jerry Seinfeld. However, this recommendation comes with a caveat, which essentially comes down to whether you consider yourself a fan of Seinfeld or not.
Seinfeld is huge in the US, but I’m not convinced he has the same appeal outside of the States. Personally, he does nothing for me, so his vast involvement in this picture does very little to excite.
To be honest, the same could be said of the film’s subject matter, the Pop-Tart. Once again, while big in the US, Pop-Tarts are not so popular in other countries and certainly don’t have the same appeal over here in the UK.
Do international audiences actually care about the creation of the Pop-Tart, even if it is played for laughs? I guess that’s up for debate.
While Unfrosted is fine enough, and there are some decent jokes, including a riff on the January 6th Capitol attack, the movie is largely an acquired taste. Some will like what’s on offer, others won’t really care, and the end result is a film which looks good but is mostly unfulfilling.
Should you wish to check it out for yourself, Unfrosted is now streaming on Netflix.
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