Comedian Jerry Seinfeld disappeared for a while after the success of his sitcom Seinfeld, here and there throwing out some small television shows that mostly pertained to his own interests, or some major flop feature length titles. The truth is, I genuinely don't think Seinfeld is a good actor. He's capable of his comedic sitcom style that doesn't really require acting, but rather simplistic line delivery structure, and anything else tends to be quite a flat failure. This isn't to say I dislike the actor, just that he's incapable of pursuing the subjects that genuinely suit him. So when I saw his face appear on a relatively new title, I was curious. I sort of knew what to expect, but felt it was worth checking out in the event that he had managed to learn and was trying something a bit different. I can say that this isn't the case, unfortunately. And Unfrosted was a bit of a soulless title with clear intentions. Seinfeld for some odd reason at the forefront of this odd tale, perhaps to market it a bit more, perhaps a bit bored and willing to accept some quick and easy money from a title that serves nothing more than the interests of a corporation to advertise itself in a film.
Unfrosted was a film that I was very close to turning off within the first fifteen minutes. A rare case of a film really putting me off in every manner it possibly could. An insufferable attempt to try to tell a lighthearted, comedic story that still ultimately served as nothing but corporation wars and the pursuit of money. Seinfeld's contribution looking as if he had some power of the production in some regards, with influence in the humour being clear here and there, but that humour is quite dated, too niche. Specific to his own style of humour that doesn't quite translate into the modern world. That sort of awkward Seinfeld series humour in which the comedian tries to find humour in all things. Though he isn't the most offensive actor in the film, it's riddled with actors that you haven't seen in a while, ones that clearly don't have much of a presence in Hollywood these days, and it's no surprise to find them in a film like this. Sort of expected as funds run dry and their offers aren't particularly interesting due to previous box office failures.
This time, however, it's Netflix happy to accept that advertising money. To collaborate with franchises in telling stories about them, and find easier ways to make their poor quality Original series and films generate a bit of a profit. That's to say that this is a film that exists purely to make quick money for the streaming service. Low budget, sponsorships, and relying on niche actors that somehow still have a little bit of a die-hard following. And Seinfeld earns an easy paycheck for directing a pretty awful film.
The film introduces itself in a typical cinematic manner, the diving into a story with a pretty fast setup: a child walks into a cafe, sits down, and asks for PopTarts, reading the back of the packaging out loud for some reason. Seinfield's character is setting next to the child and states that the text isn't true regarding what the story supposedly is, claiming that he once wrote that text and is offering to tell the story of what really happened. It's a pretty simple setup, and to be honest, I hate when films start this way. That quick, typical narrative structure that takes us into memories and a story of the past. I find that this is a pretty lazy way to introduce a story, to have characters supposedly meant to feel engaged from the start. Particularly when it feels so robotic, such a lifeless way to introduce a character and story. Much of the film felt this way, and the main reason for this was the constant product placement from Kellogg's. Pretty quickly, it was clear that this was not a film designed to tell a story, but to be a film that basically pats a corporation's own back while telling you to go out and buy their products.
Seinfeld's directing choices aren't particularly offensive. From a filmmaking perspective these shots aren't anything terrible. The story comes together neatly, but this isn't really the problem with the film, it's more the rest of it. The acting is pretty bad, quite theatrical and almost as if it's a film aimed more at children. Where line delivery is given in a particularly strange manner. Though the film has its fair share of more adult references, little jokes and one-liners that throw out hints. It's an odd film, given it really doesn't know what it wants to be, other than an ad that shows a rivalry between two corporations in the 1940s. Kellogg's branded everything is visible in which feels like every possible scene. The brand name is thrown out in seemingly every sentence, and it gets tiring incredibly quickly. As there are films in which they take the story of a corporation's early days, they tend to be done quite well in the fact that they show a rather human story developing that leads to something massive, albeit still with a bit of a soulless undertone when you realise what became of that corporation, but the problem here is the lack of an interesting set of people. There is no engaging set of characters or a story or achieving something great.
Seinfeld's own character claims of trying to make foods that impact the live's of children, giving them fun memories for their later years to look back on, but it never felt like it was something authentic. It felt incredibly out of touch, with characters that are clearly all just trying to get rich in their weird little bubble. This goes into the fact that Seinfeld is a terrible actor, being at the front of the story just does not help its cause one bit. Unfrosted feels mostly like a film that doesn't belong in this era, in some ways that's a good thing, but in most ways you can't help but notice its actual agenda at play, in a time in which it's clear what's happening around the world, that corporations are hated for their blatant manipulation of society, it's hard to think of who the demographic of this film really is. Almost as if doesn't exist anymore. I'd have to say that this is a film that definitely doesn't have anything of substance to it. It's a film that doesn't spark any interesting ideas or portray interesting moments in history.
It's definitely not worthy of your time, and I'd suggest just entirely avoiding it. After all, our era can hardly tolerate advertisements of five seconds in length, now imagine one that lasts ninety entire minutes!
This sounds both like something I wouldn't enjoy (my cousins really enjoyed Seinfeld growing up, I really did not, I guess I wasn't smart/witty enough for that XD) and something I feel like you maybe shouldn't have wasted your time on :)
I must confess that this month I didn't use netflix. Few attractive things. It's a shame the film was a miss, and had those mistakes. The acting thing catches the eye, but it's like intriguing you to the end to have the same beginning. That's what I feel happens here.
Yeah Netflix is trash for sure. Rarely anything of interest on most streaming platforms actually. Weirdly the best I have seen is a Russian one called Kinpoisk. Cheap and has literally everything.
It is disappointing to see a film that we believe that a certain actor will change its plot and everything seems to fail because the whole plot is focused on repeating the same past model, it's like swimming against the current. Everything is as if it was made without any spirit. Greetings, dear friend, a big hug for you, I hope you are well.🤗
Of this style of movies based on brands, I have yet to see Barbie and Blackberry, but this movie doesn't motivate me at all, I don't know if it's because of Seinfeld or the brand itself, but I don't think I'll see it and it's also due to certain opinions that are like the one you write in your review.
Esta pelicula la vi hace poco, y debo decir que no es de mis favoritas, siento que en algnos aspectos se vuelve algo repetitiva, tiene lo suyo y puede llegar a atraparte, pero realmente no me encanto, pero igualmente buen post
Seinfeld is definitely a name that caughts attention but actually, it's never for anything apart from that old show. It's a shame that this movie was a miss and that the actor couldn't do anything more entertaining