Unfrosted Review – Nutty & Loaded With Inane References
Sneha Jaiswal (Twitter | Instagram)
Director: Jerry Seinfeld
Writers: Jerry Seinfeld, Spike Feresten, Andy Robin
Set in 1960s America, “Unfrosted” is a satirical parody about the rivalry between food giants Kellogg’s and Post as they vie to create a snack that could revolutionize breakfast habits across the country. Jerry Seinfeld stars as Kellogg’s executive Bob Cabana, who convinces his former colleague Donna (Melissa McCarthy) to ditch her new job at NASA and assist him in devising a winning recipe in the fierce breakfast battle. While Jim Gaffigan plays their boss Edsel Kellogg III, Amy Schumer portrays his next-door rival Marjorie Post, whose firm already has their hands on something that will blow their competition away.
“Unfrosted” is such a nutty, silly film, with so many cameos that I half-expected/hoped Sacha Baron Cohen would make an appearance too, this is totally his kind of gig. But, unfortunately, despite its exaggerations and constant gags, “Unfrosted” never goes fully unhinged with its material, and comes across like a film made for children (it has a PG-13 rating) but with a premise that isn’t exciting. No kid really cares about how pop tarts became America’s favorite breakfast snack. Ironically, the makers are completely aware of this fact, because the movie starts with a scene where Bob Cabana practically forces a kid to listen to the story about pop tarts. So, it’s a self-aware, goofy, absurd comedy, that’s probably out to entertain a very niche audience.
The colorful cinematography and snazzy costumes scream ’60s/’70s energy. Jerry Seinfeld and Melissa McCarthy, as Bob and Donna, look like older corporate versions of Shaggy and Velma from “Scooby-Doo,” the cartoon created in 1969, by the way. And given just how colorful, and wacky the film is, I did feel like maybe an animated version with some magic thrown in could’ve made it more entertaining.
From an international viewer’s point of view, “Unfrosted” can seem ridiculously inane, since it’s packed with countless subtle jokes and references from 1960s America that will be lost on a lot of viewers. Some of the more accessible references include a scene where the Kellogg’s team meets President John F. Kennedy, and the President jokes about living in the doghouse “since you-know-who sang Happy Birthday to me”. He never mentions Marilyn Monroe, but those familiar with her “Happy Birthday Mr. President” performance, which caused a stir in the tabloids, will immediately understand the joke. However, some of the other comical references in the film are as specific and obscure as a scene where a character named Tom Carvel suggests that Kellogg’s name their new product “Kellog’s Puss” and presents Edsel with a cake. This cake is a nod to Carvel’s “Cookie Puss”, an ice-cream cake sold by the company that inspired many jokes and even a song by the Beastie Boys.
With a crisp 90 minute runtime, “Unfrosted” is choppily paced, with some really hilarious moments, but also some very un-funny stretches. It’s like a high-quality SNL sketch, with multiple star guests waltzing in and out of the sets. If you like Netflix offerings like “Death to 2020/2021“, you’d probably enjoy this one too.
Rating: 6 on 10. Stream it on Netflix.
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