My cereal habit started early on, and it never completely went away. I recall my grandpa coming to visit us in the Philippines. He introduced me to the idea of blending two cereals in the same bowl, but explained the rule of healthy cereal with healthy cereal. The sugary or “junk food” kind with their kind. Talk about heroic.
Pop-Tarts are an emotional matter
Pop-Tarts were a whole other matter. With two to a pack, and with my three sisters and parents — you can do the math. Someone getting two doses could create conflict within a day. Cereal was a constant presence, but a box of Pop-Tarts was always facing extinction. In such a full house, you were really riding high when you scored both of the Pop-Tarts in the sleeve. My mom would sometimes proclaim: “I’m not getting these anymore,” she meant because of how quickly they vanished.
Jerry Seinfeld announced Unfrosted on stage in 2023
When I heard Jerry Seinfeld was directing a movie all about Pop-Tarts, I was all ears. He mentioned it in October 2023 after his stand up performance at the Wang Theatre in Boston. Debuting not even a year later, it’s the number one movie on Netflix with more than seven million views. Because of Unfrosted, I decided to subscribe to Netflix, something I’ve drifted away from.
Unfrosted is as zany as you’d imagine
So what is Jerry’s movie Unfrosted like? Every bit as zany as you’d imagine, with more than enough chuckles and laughs to round out the absurd idea. I love absurdity and admittedly I’ve taken breakfast foods a bit far.
One memory I have from early on was saving the crushed up crumbs at the bottom of a Froot Loops box and the powder remnants of a Frosted Flake box and then stirring it in a bowl with just enough milk to make a kind of cereal paste. I still get ideas like this which perhaps puts me in the target group of idiots this movie was intended to reach.
I love that Seinfeld and the writers Spike Feresten, Andy Robin and the one-and-only Barry Marder took the eccentric idea of Unfrosted to these extremes. Their ideas made it work, although I’m sure the $14 million budget was of assistance.
Unfrosted spotlights Seinfeld’s observational imagination
I suspect critics won’t like Unfrosted, but the people who appreciate Jerry Seinfeld’s observational humor will like it. It looks like Jerry Seinfeld no longer has much attachment to reviews. He even said he was looking forward to reading the bad ones.
From the opposite side of the review aisle, I can understand the appeal. There’s something intriguing and at times funny about one of my reviews getting the occasional venomous YouTube comment or email.
Increasingly in the times we’re in, a scathing review from the media outlets means the audience will like it. When I read the critique from a writer named Joshua, whose byline included his he/him pronouns, I didn’t need to read far to correctly guess…. he didn’t like Unfrosted.
Especially noteworthy was Bill Burr’s performance as JFK. The funeral scene was the part I had to rewind and rewatch. Again, it’s about absurdity.
Unfrosted is light-hearted and recommended
If you’re looking for a short, subjectively frivolous movie tonight (or today if out of work), consider giving Unfrosted on Netflix a watch. I recommend pairing with a Pop-Tart, and hope you enjoy both.
