Pops Saw a Movie: UNFROSTED

I’m not sure why I was trepidatious about Jerry Seinfeld’s UNFROSTED (and no, it had nothing to with the Seinfeld Backlash), perhaps simply because I’ve been burned by so much modern comedy; Most of it just doesn’t work for me. But I gotta say, I loved it. This (mostly) apocryphal tale of the race between Kellogg’s and Post to get a shelf stable breakfast pastry to the public is a broad satire of mid-century pop and corporate culture that hits way more than it misses. For me, anyway. 

Going into the film, it’s important to remember that supermarket shelves were very different in 1963. There weren’t a hundred kinds of Oreos, powdered “Kraft Dinner” was the only Mac & cheese anyone knew, there were two or three varieties, tops, of any specific snack item (Fritos came in one flavor: Fritos). High-fructose corn syrup had yet to find its way into every single food product (there’s a joke about that in the film, too). Adult foods did not often come in dayglo colors or dipped in chocolate. There was no candy-flavored vodka or beer. For the most part, kid stuff was kid stuff, and it had its time and place. And that made it special. 

UNFROSTED only really works if you’re someone who came of age when Saturday Morning Culture was still a thing (if you don’t know what I mean by that, then it’s not you). The movie is overflowing with mid-century pop and political characters and references, but not in a lazy, non-sequitur kind of way that dominates so much comedy today. Still, if you don’t get why Walter Cronkite being wowed by Silly Putty or the notion of Tom Carvel being ridiculed for being his own spokesperson is amusing, then yeah… you’re not going to dig ‘em… er, it (that’s another old cereal reference). If you ARE old enough to get it, you’re gonna wanna pause some scenes with the plethora of food mascots to try to see how many you can name (that blue giraffe was on the box of Kellogg’s TRIPLE SNACK, a short-lived breakfast cereal with PEANUTS!). 

But the movie is more than just 1960s references. The actors (so many, but not as distracting as OPPENHEIMER’s all-star cameos, because, you know… it’s a ridiculous comedy) all seem to be having a great time. Hugh Grant is terrific as a supercilious Thurl Ravenscroft (a very real person best known as the voice of Tony the Tiger and the singer of "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch"), a disgruntled mascot who rallies other food mascots to storm Kellogg’s in protest of the new product (a direct January 6 riff, unusual for Seinfeld’s usually apolitical style, and perhaps a bit too much of an anachronistic turn). Christian Slater as a milk mafioso, Melissa McCarthy as the scientist tasked with creating the fruit filling formula, Jim Gaffigan as the head of Kellogg’s, and even James Marsden playing Jack Lallane are all hilarious. Hell, I even liked Amy Schumer as the president of Kellogg’s rival, Post, and I’ve NEVER been able to say that about any other performance of hers. And (spoiler alert), Jon Hamm and John Slattery’s MAD MEN reunion scene is a pitch-perfect (sorry) cameo that adds rather than distracts.

The only real beef I have with UNFROSTED is, in a movie with otherwise stellar art direction, a scene depicting failed Kellogg’s products has some really bad fake packaging. I don’t understand how this can be a thing in 2024, but it pulled me out of the carefully-constructed world for an aggravating minute. 

Again, and as always, your mileage may vary. Comedy is perhaps the most subjective film genre, and I totally get why this thing fell flat for most people under the age of, say, 40. But if you’re someone who remembers when breakfast cereals had actual prizes inside, give UNFROSTED a shot.