Netflix Gets ‘One Of Decade’s Worst Movies’
Jerry Seinfeld’s feature directorial debut, Unfrosted, just hit Netflix today, and some critics are going right for the throat. The food biopic shows the rivalry between Kellogg’s and Post in making the best breakfast pastry, which would eventually be known as Pop-Tarts. The Chicago Sun-Times had some of the harshest words for the film, calling it, “one of the decade’s worst movies,” and claiming it, “makes Flamin’ Hot seem like The Social Network.”
A Great Cast Can’t Save Unfrosted
Jerry Seinfeld co-wrote, directed, and starred in Unfrosted, which also has an all-star cast of comedic talent that includes Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, Hugh Grant, Amy Schumer, Max Greenfield, Christian Slater, Sarah Cooper and Bill Burr. At the time of writing this article, it currently has a 44 percent on Rotten Tomatoes from both critics and audiences, though the audience score could change as more people check it out this weekend. 44 percent is far from glowing, but it’s also not quite bad enough for the movie to be considered one of the decade’s worst.
Even Positive Reviews Are Mixed
In fact, other critics were much kinder to Unfrosted, with The Guardian saying, “it’s not exactly a masterpiece, but amiable and funny in a way that’s much harder to achieve than it looks.” Meanwhile, The Hollywood Reporter praised Seinfeld’s direction of his comedic cast, saying, “At the helm of a cast filled with virtuosos of comic timing, Seinfeld draws performances that are, for the most part, understated, effectively heightening the ridiculousness of the setup by playing it straight … Best of all, there’s not a drop of corporate mythologizing in the mishmash of factoid and fantasy.” So, it seems like reviews for the film are mixed for the time being, so your enjoyment of the film may vary.
A Strange Film From The Beginning
Unfrosted had many people looking at the project sideways when it was first announced, as a Pop-Tart biopic seemed like a fairly strange direction for Jerry Seinfeld’s comedic talents. However, Seinfeld himself doesn’t seem like he has particularly grand ambitions for the film, as he recently told NPR, “I don’t want them to take anything away from it,” adding “I want them to just watch it and hopefully get a laugh or two.” This low-stakes approach is a good approach for a food biopic that looks like it’s aiming for silly laughs rather than prestige acclaim.
Seinfeld Has No Luck With Movies
So, as long as you’re looking for silly gags from Unfrosted rather than a razor-sharp comedy, then you’ll probably enjoy the project. Perhaps the Pop-Tart movie will experience a similar trajectory as Seinfeld’s Bee Movie, which people looked more kindly on over time. It’s also possible that positive audience reviews could come flooding in over the next few days and give the film a viewer boost.
Jerry Seinfeld Blames Woke Culture
Outside of Unfrosted, Jerry Seinfeld recently appeared in the finale of Curb Your Enthusiasm alongside Larry David in an episode that smartly touched on the divisive finale of Seinfeld. Seinfeld himself has also been the topic of conversation across social media and podcasts as he complained about PC culture and “the extreme left” during an interview. In any case, it certainly seems like Unfrosted won’t go down as one of Seinfeld’s best efforts, but it might be the comedy you’re looking for if you want something light and breezy.
