UNFROSTED
Starring: Jerry Seinfeld, Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, Max Greenfield, Hugh Grant, and Amy Schumer
Director: Jerry Seinfeld
AMARÚ
There’s a reason I never really watched Saturday Night Live. By the time I was old enough to be interested, the legends had already left and the new stars were stuck doing unfunny skits. That last bit is what immediately came to mind watching a huge number of well-known comedians come together to be as unfunny as they are in Unfrosted. Jerry Seinfeld’s “what’s the deal?” schtick is great for his stand up, but it doesn’t make a good movie. The cast must have been doing Seinfeld a favor because their uber-obvious, literal punchlines fail to reach even a serviceable semblance of satirical skill.
ADRIANO
I knew Unfrosted wasn't going to be good, but I’m a big Jerry Seinfeld fan. So, when I turned it on, I said "let's turn the brain off and have some laughs." Even with that mindset, this was a painful movie to sit through. Not only did I not laugh once, but the movie also quickly abandons its simple concept of "here's how Pop Tarts happened" for an abundance of unfunny bits and subplots that amount to nothing. I’m just confused as to why exactly this movie was made. I'm sad to say, Seinfeld is simply past his prime.
QUENTIN
The most remarkable thing about Unfrosted is just how unremarkable it is. With a stacked cast full of A-list comedians and celebrity cameos, not to mention a delightfully silly premise, how did this movie become so bland and boring? I’ll give Jerry Seinfeld credit as the director because he has created a colorfully goofy world featuring a tremendous 1960s pastiche, but as a writer? Oh man. So many “jokes” from so many comedy stars, and almost none of them land. One has to imagine that being on set was a riot, but none of that comes through on the screen. Overall, an unfunny disappointment.
KATIE
My feelings about Unfrosted align with my opinion on Pop Tarts: somehow both overwhelmingly sweet yet bland and devoid of substance. I was bombarded by innuendos, goofy gags, references, and cameos at a staggering rate, and some of the dialogue is so inconceivably stupid that I couldn’t help but laugh. Despite this, it is often dull, featuring, at best, half-hearted performances, but it's also so silly and dedicated to the pastel 1960s aesthetic that, I’m ashamed to admit, it’s kind of fun, but not quite good. Honestly, I’m left confused by the whole ordeal.
PRESTON
Unfrosted is deceivingly marketed as a nostalgic, satirical jaunt down semi-historical memory lane. However, it seems that Jerry Seinfeld’s legacy only works to lure a star-studded cast to serve as the enticing central-filling to a film that instead resembles the empty shell of the treat it attempts to exploit. Perhaps I go too far, but I felt a Good Will Hunting-esque waste of potential while I endured through its shallow comedic implementation. A few jokes land and it’s watchable, but I was so confused that I thought I might have been watching what would have otherwise been an impressive improv performance.
