Jerry Seinfeld’s Unfrosted is as goofy as you’d expect in new trailer
Unfrosted, starring Jerry Seinfeld, Melissa McCarthy, Amy Schumer, and Hugh Grant, premieres on Netflix on May 3
Film News Jerry Seinfeld
Photo: John P. Johnson
It’s the movie that will make you say, “This is Jerry Seinfeld’s directorial debut? Huh!” The first trailer for Unfrosted, premiering on Netflix on May 3, is here. If you’re wondering why Seinfeld chose this, of all subjects, for his first outing as a filmmaker, he’s just apparently been obsessed with Pop-Tarts his whole life. According to Tudum, he first mentioned the idea publicly on the Late Show in 2010, and tweeted about it again in 2018. During the pandemic, bored with nothing else to do, he and co-writer Spike Feresten finally said, why not? And thus, Unfrosted was born.
Here’s the synopsis from Netflix: “Battle Creek, Michigan, 1963. Kellogg’s and Post, sworn cereal rivals, race to create a pastry that will change the face of breakfast forever. A wildly imaginative tale of ambition, betrayal, and menacing milkmen—sweetened with artificial ingredients—Unfrosted stars Jerry Seinfeld in his directorial film debut.”
Unfrosted has a seriously star-studded cast, including Seinfeld, Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, Hugh Grant, Amy Schumer, Max Greenfield, Christian Slater, Bill Burr, Daniel Levy, James Marsden, Jack McBrayer, Thomas Lennon, Bobby Moynihan, Adrian Martinez, Sarah Cooper, and Fred Armisen. Most of them play figures in the Kellogg’s vs. Post race; Grant, apparently, called Seinfeld up personally and said he wanted to be Tony the Tiger, becoming the first celebrity cast in the film besides Seinfeld himself.
Unfrosted may mark the end of a minor cinematic trend towards “Making Stuff” movies, a genre that has long existed (see: The Social Network) but saw a concentrated glut over the last year. There was Air, about sneakers, and BlackBerry, about phones, and Tetris, about games, and The Beanie Bubble, about Beanie Babies, and Flamin’ Hot, about Cheetos. These films varied in quality, reception, star power, and overall faithfulness to the true story, but they were all about the innovation and capitalist wheeling and dealing it takes to make these recognizable products a success. Coming at the tail end of the trend, Unfrosted appears to be as much a skewering of the genre as a participation in it. Whether it’s effective at doing so remains to be seen.
57 Comments
What everyone is missing in those credits are the names Jon Hamm and John Slatterly, which given the subject matter and time period, would lead me to bet money that there is a Mad Men reunion cameo taking place at Sterling Cooper… or Sterling Cooper Draper Pryce.
That would be an excellent idea!
Yeah, and especially given that their names are 1) at the bottom and 2) right next to each other, it’s 100% a Mad Men cameo joke. Which, for the record, I am totally fine with
They reunited in Confess, Fletch and it was great.
If anyone would be obsessed about Pop Tarts, it would be Jerry Seinfield.
Wait… are comments back? They were gone yesterday? Am I losing my mind?
You are not. Comments were missing until earlier today. I was kind of relieved, honestly, but not as relieved as I am to see them back!
Ok , I misread your name and was confused as to when I posted this!
Whaaaaat’s the DEAL with the comments section?
Hope we get Disqus back soon
The glory days were when we had unregistered commenting.
Led to some great username / comment synergy. I used this handle back them most often so just kept it when we had to register. I s’pose we’ll never get our image / icons back.
I have lost my comment history. One day it was just…gone.
20 year commenter here and stuck in the grays with all new comments. We were promised they’d survive the last software move but that wasn’t true. Commenting here has taken on about the same dark undertone as most comment boards anymore so if they go away it’s OK. They’re gone on The Takeout now.
I’m sure there’s some shitty business reason for this, but aside from The A.V. Club asides, the most common comment tends to be “The only reason I come here is for the comments.” They’re going to lose business simple as that.
And I thought AV is about to go the way of the other Kinja’s blog sites. Such as Deadspin, Jezebel, etc.
I thought so too. I think they are in the process of being sold, I figured that was it for the comments for now.
(It is)
Still a bad sign. The AV Club was recently sold, and every time that happens the site gets progressively worse and closer to death.
Under the article I found comments! Who are these people?!
Looks like the comments are still here?
“Look to the Pop-Tart Elaine. Look to the Pop-Tart…”
It me!
God help me, I want to watch this.
Looks like the right amount of stupid to be fun
I can comment again on AV Club!!…ah fuck, I can comment again on AV Club
I was seriously having some psychological stress from the concept of the AV Club comments sections not being a thing any more. It’s like having a family member die, but one of the weird ones you only kind of like.
But maybe used to like completely. I was sad, I mean it was such a part of my daily life for so long, but it also has been in such a long decline that it was kind of a relief.
Maybe like a beloved family pet who, in recent years, has been shitting on the rug way too often.
This looks lazy. Like if someone took that Blackberry or Tetris movie and just riffed until they landed on this.
So… like everything Jerry’s done post-Seinfeld
Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee gave us the wonderful scene of Christoph Waltz trying to find a metric tape measure in LA. And Jerry having to fetch soup for Mel Brooks.
Come up with a lazier concept than Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee.If your life literally depended on it, there’s a good chance you’d be dead. And that’s arguably the BEST thing he’s done since his sitcom.
Reading that list of names as a Brit, I got to Jim Gaffigan and had to think “is that who I’m thinking of or is that Bill Burr?” and then continued through the list and realised it didn’t matter.
Those are weird ones to mistake for each other. They don’t look alike, their voices and accents aren’t alike, their comedy styles are completely different… their names hardly even share any letters.
Jim Gaffigan is the Hot Pocket guy, which really is just a savory Pop Tart.
Looks delightful. Can’t wait!
“‘Making Stuff’ movies”Commercials. The word you’re looking for is “commercials.”
First of all: *sheesh*
Secondly: Seinfeld still holds power in Hollywood? /fair enough
Lastly: …guess Seinfeld needed a new car?
I watched 3 of the 5 listed “making stuff” movies and I enjoyed them!
Tetris and Air are solid flicks. People said Social Network was certified kino. I’m not entirely into it.
I assume Air is one of those things from the POV of the Evil Villain , like Hannibal or Downfall or Winnning Time :The rise of the Lakers
I never watch basketball or wear Nike but really enjoyed Air.
Social Network isn’t really part of the current trend and it’s a very different kind of movie.
In addition to movie trend, the History channel is now nothing but “Making Food” TV show marathons that I would’ve assumed an episode already touched on this.
It did. Spoilers, I assume- Post has the original idea for a toaster pastry, spends ages creating it, and then stupidly advertises it in a trade magazine, like, six months before it hits shelves (an eternity!). So Kellogg steals the idea, hits the lab, and gets to market first. And that’s why the movie is about Pop-Tarts and not Country Squares. (I love The Food That Built America. It’s insanely, hilariously dramatic. Nothing less than the fate of the nation hinges on whether or not soft-serve ice cream, shelf-stable mayonnaise, and a fast-casual dining experience can be achieved!)
Cereals are weirdly not a constant worldwide . When I was a kid in the 70s and 80s in Ireland Cereal companies were Kellogs/Weetabix and whoever the hell made Sugar Puffs . Never heard of Post (and Pop tarts etc werent lauched over here until the mid 90s )
Yeah, well this ain’t Ireland. This was 1960’s America and all we knew about Ireland was Lucky Charms and Darby O’Gill.
And New York City cops.
What’s the deal with unfrosted Pop Tarts? Who’d want those? Why pay the same price as frosted Pop Tarts?
Hey, comments! I thought for sure they had gone the way of the Rotten Tomato forums from years back. In light of our new era, might it be I am finally out of the greys?
Nope. Sigh.
Comments days are numbered it seems. Now gone from “The Takeout.”
Two thoughts: Was Seinfeld that good a show that this dude gets a free pass to do whatever idea he has? And…. Pop Tarts? Really? Maybe if this was about the invention of like… Cereal but Pop Tarts? They’re gross and they’re not nutritional what so ever. Nor are they a necessary breakfast item in any capacity. Did the makers of Pop Tarts really think they were redefining breakfast? Pfft whatever. This film “looks American” and I mean that in the fat-shaming way.
Seinfeld loving Pop Tarts is so cringy.
Test.
I was sold the minute I saw Bill Burr as JFK.