If you checked out the new Netflix movie "Unfrosted" on a whim over the weekend, you're not alone. This movie made a big impression on the service following its Friday debut, hitting the top spot on the Netflix Top 10 movies chart as of May 5, pushing past recent hit "Anyone But You," as well as newly-added library titles like "The Judge" and "Shrek."
However, the position of "Unfrosted" at the top of the charts is no indicator of its quality. In fact, if there's one thing that critics and audiences can agree on, it's that this movie is terrible.
What is 'Unfrosted' about?
"Unfrosted" is a fictionalized account of the creation of Pop-Tarts, which, in this film, result from a high-stakes battle for breakfast between cereal giants Kellogg's and Post. The movie stars Jerry Seinfeld, who also co-wrote and directed the film, alongside an impressive cast list, which includes Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, Hugh Grant, Amy Schumer, Max Greenfield, Christian Slater, Sarah Cooper and Bill Burr.
There are also dozens of "surprise" celebrity cameos in the film that will have pop culture aficionados pointing at the TV like Leonardo DiCaprio's character in "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."
Reviews of 'Unfrosted'
"Unfrosted" has been almost universally panned by critics, currently holding a dismal 41% on Rotten Tomatoes.
In The Chicago Sun-Times' one-star review, critic Richard Roeper says that the film is one of the worst movies of the decade, calling it "an astonishingly unfunny, deeply weird, live-action cartoon that is so clear-the-room dreadful it almost plays like a horror movie."
Similarly, the Daily Globe and Mail called the film "one big steaming pile... a distressingly laugh-free affair," adding that the film "tries to compensate for the script’s endless eye-rollers by stuffing the film with as many cameos as Pop-Tarts have calories."
However, it isn't just critics who are finding this film bland and boring. The movie holds a 49% audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with users calling it "badly overacted," "idiotically silly" and "truly dreadful."
Our take on 'Unfrosted'
A deeply unfunny string of inexplicable celebrity cameos in between setups for jokes that aren't funny, "Unfrosted" feels as devoid of nutrition as the toaster pastries that give the film its namesake. Though early trailers seemed promising, the movie fails to offer any witty insights or commentary on the food industry, 1960s culture or anything else.
Performances vacillate between bored and over-the-top, creating a deeply uneven experience that is so incredibly lacking in substance that it can't even be memed a la "Madame Web."
"Unfrosted" could have worked as a skit on "Saturday Night Live" or even a 20-minute digital short. However, as it is, this film, like many other made-for-Netflix movies before it, will likely play in the background while viewers search for more interesting content on their phones.
