UNFROSTED

In recent years we have seen Air Jordans, Beanie Babies, Tetris and Blackberry (amongst many other inventions) get the Hollywood treatment. 

And now it is the turn of Pop-Tarts.

Directed by Jerry Seinfeld, in his feature directorial debut, this is a semi-fictionalised, loosely based on truth, telling of the creation of the popular breakfast item

Seinfeld has recently made headlines for saying that comedy was being ruined as a “…result of the extreme left and PC crap, and people worrying so much about offending other people”. 

Firstly, obviously this is Seinfeld just saying something controversial in an effort to drum up publicity about his project. Of course it is. And yes, I am going to give him what he wants by talking about it.

Because, this is clear, indisputable, garbage. Comedy has changed, sure, but it is still going strong. Shows like South Park and It’s Always Sunny… continue to push boundaries. Shows like Taskmaster show that there is a space for silliness to exist. Series such as Derry Girls are proof that sitcoms can still find a way to be relevant.

And yes, these are not the same shows as the ones being made in the 90’s. But why would they be? Comedy should exist to show a mirror to the world we live in, not one we left behind 30 years ago. 

In the same way that shows like Seinfeld and Friends were contemporary themselves when they first came out. They reflected the 90’s. They didn’t look back to the 60’s, but created something new that reflected the world as it was.

The shows from the 90s still exist. You can watch them. Despite what certain areas of the media would have you believe they are still available. Online, on DVD and, if there is still an audience to watch them, on TV. 

Secondly, based on his comments, you might be forgiven for thinking that Seinfeld’s next project would be one that walked the line of what is acceptable. Something edgy and divisive. Something that would make people rethink what comedy means.

Well if this is what you thought you’d be wrong. I’ve seen episodes of Bargain Hunt with more edge. And the closest to offending anyone it gets is a couple of fat jokes, and a silly foreign accent gag. All of which fell flat.

And to be absolutely clear, these jokes didn’t fall flat because they were offensive, or because of some imaginary woke agenda. They fell flat because they were lazily written, poorly executed, and nothing we haven’t seen before.

Unfrosted does nothing to trouble the extreme left or the extreme right. It plays it safe by sitting squarely in the middle. 

And this is not to say that Unfrosted is bad. It isn’t. I had a really good time with it! It’s just interesting that this is the film that Seinfeld has made considering his apparent anger at todays comedy.

But it does get a lot right. Other than the couple of jokes I have already mentioned that fell flat, it is, in places, genuinely funny. 

It has an endearing sense of playfulness, and the idea of effectively making it a gangster film, with two warring cereal companies at his centre, an escobar-esque sugar kingpin, and a milk cartel, gives it some well earned individuality in an increasing pool of corporate dramas. 

Unfrosted takes the clever path of never pretending to tell a wholly true story. Instead presenting it as Seinfelds Bob Cabana, telling a story to a child. 

The fact that this is clearly presented as a story allows the film to then go on as many flights of fancy, twist as many truths, and exaggerate its characters as much as it wants.

This is never meant to be the true story and so everything that happens in it makes sense within the world he has created.

It might not be edgy, but it is an intelligent way to go about it to ensure that it never gets mired in reality.

The cast all do good work. Melissa McCarthy has some good lines, Hugh Grant is typically brilliant value as thespian turned cereal mascot Thurl Ravenscroft, Amy Schumer devours the scenery as cereal mogul, and Kellogg competitor, Marjorie Post, and it is always fun to see Max Greenfield bring his trademark delivery and diction to any role.

Seinfeld himself is fine. He has a charm about him that makes him easy to watch, even if it does feel like he’s phoning in some of his jokes.

Ultimately Unfrosted is dumb and silly and consistently funny, but will be remembered most for its creator, a man desperately searching for a relevancy that left him behind in the 90s, lashing out at what he perceives to be the ruination of comedy. 

Which is a shame, as I think this has impacted how people have viewed the film, going in already inclined to dislike it. It’s not a classic, and is unlikely one that I’ll ever want to go back and rewatch, but as an excuse for over-the-top, dopey fun you can do a lot worse.