UNFROSTED
(director/writer: Jerry Seinfeld; screenwriters: Barry Marder, Spike Feresten, Andy Robin; cinematographer: William Pope; editor: Evan Henke; music: Christophe Beck; cast: Jerry Seinfeld (Bob Cabana), Rachel Harris (Mrs. Cabana), Melissa McCarthy (Donna Stankowski), Isaac Bae (George), Chris Rickett (Counter Man), (Amy Schumer (Majorie Post), Jim Gaffigan (Edsell Kellogg III), Cedric the Entertainer (Stu Smiley), James Marsden (Jack Lalanne), Jack McBrayer (Steve Schwinn), Adrian Martinez (Tom Carvel), Hugh Grant (Thurl Ravenscroft), Kyle Dunnigan (Walter Cronkite), Bill Burr (JFK), Christian Slater (Mike Diamond), Peter Dunklage (Harry Friendly), Dan Levy (Andy Warhol), Max Greenfield (Rick Ludwin), Fred Armisen (Mike Puntz), Dean Norris (Nikita Khruschev), Bobby Moynihan (Chef Boy Ardee), Jon Hamm (ad man # 1), John Slattery (ad man # 2), Kyle Mooney (Snap), Mikey Day (Crackle), Drew Tarver (Pop); Runtime: 93; MPAA Rating: PG-13; producers: Beau Bauman, Spike Feresten, Jerry Seinfeld; Netflix; 2024)
“A flaky comedy.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
TV comedian Jerry Seinfeld directs his first movie, and also stars and produces it. It’s a flaky comedy on the 1960s cereal wars in America. It’s a disappointing time killer. Seinfeld co-writes the entertaining but pointless Netflix film with Barry Marder, Spike Feresten and Andy Robin, telling about the 1963 creation of Pop-Tarts (a product I detested) by Kelloggs becoming part of the consumer culture. The writing team is the same one that was on the animation Bee Movie (2007) that Seinfeld starred in, co-produced and co-wrote.
It’s a messy cartoon-like film with silly sight gags, many celebratory cameos and fine supporting performances from its impressive large ensemble cast.
Bob Cabana (Jerry Seinfeld) is a fictional character in the early 1960s, an executive for Kellogg’s, working with Edsel Kellogg III (Jim Gaffigan), a descendant of the founder, and Donna Stankowski (Melissa McCarthy), a NASA scientist who is asked to develop its top-secret project: a new breakfast food.
Cabana’s company is in a race to beat its main rival Post, headed by Majorie Post (Amy Schumer), with a product to the breakfast table.
The film tries hard, but isn’t tasty and doesn’t have much of a bite.
REVIEWED ON 5/5/2024 GRADE: C+