Movie Review: Unfrosted

 

Hey everyone, my name is Anthony and welcome to my Movie Review.

Today is my very first Movie Review that im covering from Netflix content. Yes my friend, I got myself a subscription on Netflix thanks to the use of redeem code card, though for my best of knowledge, Netflix is the only one that you gotta use the redeem gift card to extending the subs on Netflix, im not sure if Amazon has the same thing when they also selling their gift cards for online shopping, but Netflix has the easiest option in my mind, but its a long story. I used to hated Netflix for being forced to subscribing when the projects are borrowed into streaming platform exclusive, but Netflix isn’t the only one as we all know, despite Netflix has plenty of controversies from questionable business management, raising prices and some contents when they signed the contract from third parties like WB, Universal or others are delisted either expensive price for extension or called the day, but again, I digress. If I wanna reviewing some Netflix content, I felt like to give it a shot to watching to one of Netflix’s recent film, involving my favorite snack or breakfast.

“Unfrosted” is a 2024 comedy film that was written/produced/directed by Jerry Seinfeld, co-produced/co-written by Spike Feresten, co-produced by Beau Bauman, and co-written by Andy Robin and Barry Marder.

For many years, we’re all familiar of everyone’s favorite comedian in the 80’s and 90’s named Jerry Seinfeld, he was started in a promising stand-up comedy thanks to his open-mic in nights and showing up in talk shows in his early days, but then in 1988, he introduced his sitcom show based on himself in fiction called “Seinfeld” and it was beloved from the past and to this day, he was that good to be on TV and stand-up comedy, but being into movies? Not so much, unless there’s “Bee Movie” by Dreamworks Animation.

Anyway, when thinking of hos movie, he came up to have his own true story film about the creation of Pop-Tarts, though he said it was done as a made-up joke about its creation for his opportunity for not only starring, but also as a writer, producer and director, the latter of which is his directorial debut in his career, of course, the project is later brought up to Netflix to streaming it.

So, with all that said, will this movie will be an interesting ride of a fictional creation of Pop-Tarts, or is this joke is barely a joke of “Crazy Good”?

Well, lets find out.

The Story

For a movie in a comedy themed based on true story, I find the story can be… Followed but kinda all over the place.

The movie begins when a young boy orders a Pop-Tarts, until he curiously meet a man who created Pop-Tarts named Bob Cabana, and this leads him to explain the short story (though long story, cause… Well, its a movie), Bob works on Kellogg’s at Battle Creek, Michigan, during the hey days of 1963 when cereals was a big deal not just everyone, but also for kids with marketing mascots, along with a bitter rivalry with Post’s. After Bob oddly seeing kids in a dumpster with eating a fruity-based pastry, it may sounds like a future opportunity for kids love that fruity pastry, however, when spying on Post’s, they noticed that they’re about to hiring their former employee named Donna Stankowski (or Stan for short) to potentially taking Kellogg’s domination down, so Bob calls his boss Edsel Kellogg III to give Stan a second chance to rehiring her for creating their very own fruity-themed pastry. However, Kellogg’s is called by Post’s head names “Marjorie Post” for meeting with cereal brands, including Quaker, Purina (Yes, even pet food brand used to making cereals) and General Mills, she said that within one week, the cereal products are going to be on the shelves, Bob sees as a panic alert in order to obtaining rights in 99% of sugar making from Puerto Rico, its up to Bob Cabana and Kellogg’s to work hard for making their new product without losing themselves from either taste or even risking their working environment, and not to mention, Post tries to creating their own fruity-themed pastry.

It sounds like a unique plot that even though its based on a creation of Pop-Tarts, this one is more fictional, even if its sounds like a mockumentary film, just to making some jokes at some elements in the movie, about Kellogg’s innovation of fruity pastry. However, the movie has changing some subject that interrupted the plot such as when Bob is kidnapped by the milk syndicate over milk that it potentially going to declining when both Kellogg’s and Post’s are making their rivalry for their pastry over milk and cereal, as well as mascot employees posing a threat of strike for their working environment of focusing on pastry over cereal, and then there’s also that when the both brands went out in Puerto Rico and USSR (aka Russia) in order to securing their sugar business rights to save their names, but that might sounds risky for the politics like US for pressuring businesses or not. But the execution that despite we have a cereal war change into a pastry war, the subplots are nearly all over the place that its near difficult to follow the plot and messy. As for the humors, well, despite Seinfeld’s best effort for this jokes, it felt like he tried, while most of the jokes that I did chuckled at, but almost all of them are just cheap with gross humors and pop culture references that they just feels low brows to downright stupid.

While the story for being fiction is good, but it was poorly executions with cheap plot holes and poorly humors attempts, maybe I should’ve watching Seinfeld in the first place…

The Presentation

The film’s number of its budget isn’t shown, which im assuming they spending about less than $50M, im just guessing, but the movie’s presentation is actually pretty good looking, for the most parts.

For started, their filming was taking place on California as a setup for taking place in Battle Creek, Michigan, and having the sets with decoration and even cars made in early 60s. And I gotta say, they did a pretty good job for their set, sure there are some could be either loose or exaggerated, but still, it looks pretty good when they tried.

As for the costumes and other designs, I will give a credit when they did the old school mascot works that I also think they did a nice work, some either follow accurately for the old mascot appearance, or some are possibly made their own. But if there’s one thing that im not a fan about the mascot, is when they using them as a Trump supporting rioters at Capitol Riot in 2021, I’ve mentioned in my “Top 11 Controversial moments of 2021” when seeing they rioted for sore losing reason when Joe Biden is the current US President is just so bad that it caused damages and even people’s life at risk, which for some reason, they decided to copying it to the movie when Kellogg’s are making their own Pop-Tarts, I find it to be stupidly exploitative to using Capitol Riot as a joke reference.

As for the visual gags, it was low brow as I said before, most of them can give me a chuckle, but everything else made me question like “Why do you made a ravioli comes to life with a bellow average CG?” or even “Why would you have IBM in Kellogg’s business??”.

But one last thing il give a credit (even if its out of context), at least the music and the soundtrack are pretty good and fitting for taking place in the 60s.

The movie’s presentation is good at best to be passable, even if there’s some parts are either questionable or even exaggerated.

The Characters

For a weak writing, this sounds like all the characters are bad, right? Well, yes and no. But of course, this movie has a ridiculous all-star cast.

Lets starts with Bob Cabana (played by Jerry Seinfeld) the head of development of Kellogg’s who’s looking for something new for both helping and financially on his business when Kellogg’s is in a rivalry at Post’s, until the fruity themed pastry will be his new invention for Kellogg’s. I find him to be a fairly decent main protagonist, he’s businessman who’s looking for ambition to creating something than just keep making cereals for gearing towards kids, especially for his sacrifice to finding something new or he’ll be screwed off from his boss.

He’s meant to be a fictional version of William Post, who’s originally born as Dutch immigrant but became American to be in food business, started working on cookie company before he was approached from Kellogg’s to creating toaster fruity themed pastry, along with taking less seriously for his project with multiple of samples, and the rest as they say, was history.

While his jokes are okay, but despite the problematic, I think he did a nice work of his role, I guess I could say his acting is better than being his own direction of his film, I know he’s trying, but just poorly executed as I said before.

Next up is Donna “Stan” Stankowski (played by Melissa McCarthy, aka Detective Connie Edwards from The Happytime Murders), she’s Bob’s partner who used to working with Kellogg’s before that she works on NASA as a food scientist before she’s rehired from Kellogg’s to make Pop-Tarts. I find her to be passable and odd, the latter of which that, at first, I though I don’t remember if there’s a food scientist in NASA, but im pretty sure they do from my small research that if we like to be in space, we need foods to hanging in a space shuttle, but digress. Even though she’s meant to be a co-creator of Pop-Tarts, but she also shares her struggle she (and most ladies back in the old days) was frustrated how some businesses didn’t give a shareable pay as men (typical business back in the old days…), as for her humor, I find some of her jokes are subpar for say the least, even though I find her passable, but not as good than Bob.

After that, we have Edsel Kellogg III (played by Jim Gaffigan), he’s the boss of Kellogg’s and im assuming his name is reference to Ford (since the Ford Family had one of their kid name Edsel), anyway, while he’s the boss of his own brand, but he’s also kinda taking seriously for his rivalry against Post’s the success of breakfast like cereal, even if he was doubt about pastry, until accepting to approaching. He’s rather mixed, he’s sometimes to be nice for his running business brands for marketing for kids with cereals, but also somewhat taking business seriously. I find him alright as well, he’s just a typical boss that he cares about success while in a rivalry at Post, and Jim did a fairly descent role of his performance.

Then there’s Thurl Racenscroft (played by Hugh Grant), a Shakespearean actor who plays the mascot Tony the tiger of Frosted Flakes that he wants pensions in his business as a mascot actor at Kellogg’s without getting screwed that he, and some other mascot actors to going union. I think he’s meant to be the main villain in this movie that when Kellogg’s are focusing on fruity toasted pastry, that could cause a downgrade of cereals that mascot actors will get paid less, jeez, another situation of people paid less situation, but its not sexist compare to Stan’s problematic pay (cause honestly, the ladies deserve better for same pay as men). However, despite he wants pensions for cereal products, does he has to do with the main plot? The answer is… 25%, while he’s grew frustration for Kellogg’s change, but he’s not really a true villain (again, we assume). But of course, he’s loosely based on a real life Thurl Ravenscroft, who’s the spokesperson of Frosted Flakes by portraying as Tony the tiger for more than decades (damn, what a career for Thurl) and he’s also a famous singer in movies like “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” in “How The Grinch Stole Christmas” and even into Disney props from movies to theme parks at Disneyland. Questionable role aside, at least Hugh Grant is also did a nice work of his role, then again, even if Thurl’s depiction is loosely.

Last but not least is Marjorie Post (played by…. Ugh… Amy Schumer…), the rival at Kellogg’s and she’s the big boss of Post’s, when she wants to get her brand to be dominant and probably caring on her own business, wealth, and her ego, who’s basically… A female version of Elon Musk, but wanting to taking down in rivalry. Its no stranger she’s based on “Marjorie Merriweather Post” who’s the next generation Post’s family business and she’s a fangirl of Russia based on her collection of Russian Art, yeah I guess its not hard to see why’s depicted as a villain for both rich and Russophile (Sounds like a mix of Elon Musk and Steve Seagal, the latter of which he’s also a Russia supporter, F*** Seagal…!). As for her depiction and her humor, well, if you’ve read in my review of Barbie Movie, Amy Schumer is such a lame comedian, since I listened to her jokes, I find her to be unfunny and probably a bad role model that some people loved her, like, I don’t know why, since a couple years ago, she had a legal trouble and she was accused for offensive jokes and stealing jokes. Which pretty means before you ask, yes, im not a fan of her for being unfunny and probably untalented comedian, her acting is okay, but not for her “Comedy”, so attack me all you want, fans of Amy Schumer, but there’s no way to defend or escaping her when she got herself a curveball a couple years ago.

As for the rest of the characters, they’re aren’t as special, aside of their one dimensional from either stereotypes, gimmick or even trying to referencing from real life people.

There’s Harry Friendly and Mike Diamond (played by Peter Dinklage and Christian Slater), they’re the mafia of milks that they’re going after Bob for money (probably a demanding bribery for milk before the milk company are going down to have “Got Milk?” ads, just wondering), despite they’re just showing up for filler, John F. Kennedy (played by Bill Blurr) who’s the fictional version of JFK, the 35th president of USA before the infamous assassination took himself, despite he gives a cheap plot device from the concern of potential battle between US and Russia, Tom Carvel (played by Adrian Martinez) who’s a typical big businessman based on his history of inventing and promoting soft ice cream, Steve Schwinn (played by Jack McBrayer) is the inventor of bicycles for children (despite Schwinn brand wasn’t just made bikes for kids, but general people as well), Harold von Braunhunt (played by Thomas Lennon) who invented the Sea-Monkeys for pets and for some reason, a German Immigrant (I guess they want to avoiding Harold’s dark history that he’s a white supremacist, despite been born from Jewish family. Ouch…!), Chef Boyardee (played by Bobby Moynihan) who’s basically a fictional chef comes to life with his… Italian-ism stereotype, Jack LaLanne (played by James Marsden) who’s a fitness guru with his handsome muscular cliché, and Rick Ludwin (played by Max Greenfield) who’s gentle and careful Marjorie’s employee at Post’s.

Do the casts make them good, not so much for poor script, but il give some appreciation for their performance. Except for Amy Schumer, she’s forgettable “comedian”.

And now for my final opinion of this film

Overall, while its the first time I reviewing Netflix’s movie, but its nowhere good start for my first taste in my review (no pun attended).

While I enjoy its presentation (most of them), some good acting and a unique fictional true story. But everything has fell apart really badly when they “trying” to make jokes, it felt like they’re not even trying to be funny, which again, it feels like Seinfeld forgot to realizing that we’re NOT in the 90s, despite there are some jokes I had some chuckles, some presentation could get exaggerated and questionable inclusions like IBM computer or even referencing the worst sore losing riot in American history, cheap subplots, poor writing and some characters, despite some are good and il give credit to some actors, but they’re just either one dimensional or bellow average at best.

Even though I got myself my first review on Netflix, but sadly, this feels like a terrible mistake to pick one movie in a bad result that Im so regretful for watching this wasted opportunity of this movie. If you’re a fan of Seinfeld, maybe this one is for you, but others like me, im not recommending this movie, it just bellow average that it “tries” to be funny, but again, felt flat so bad like being tripped from untied shoes.

With a disappointing result what I got myself into, im gonna give this one a 3.5/10, along with earning the Dumpster Fire of FAILURE…!

*sigh* I feel like im going back to another crappy movies…! Like I just made a positive return with Godzilla and Kong, but now I feel like im going backward with negative results…! Could this get any worse in 2024…?!

*groan* So this ends of my movie review, if you guys have your opinion or any suggestions, let me know at comment bellow and support me on KO-FI.com/blackevil.

Thanks for reading, and im Anthony, signing out.