“What’s the deal with breakfast foods?,” is a serious question needing to be raised after not one but two watches of Jerry Seinfeld’s newest creation, Unfrosted. Ripe, or possibly spoiled, with an unorthodox amount of food puns, jokes and nods to grocery items we all remember and might still purchase to this day, the film’s 93 minute runtime can’t be classified as a treat; albeit it may be shelf stable. 

 

Jerry Seinfeld made his feature directorial debut with Unfrosted and it may very well be his first and final time behind the lens. Written by Seinfeld, along with Seinfeld regulars: Spike Feresten, Andy Robin and Barry Marder - the film feels like a hybrid of a Ferrell / McKay joint with an occasional Seinfeld routine joke. The consistent onslaught of breakfast humor surpassed the recommended serving for any sane human. 

 

Narratively, the premise is solid with a true battle between two warring cereal giants as they race to create a treat to conquer breakfast once and for all. Now expand that idea with a milkman syndicate, a pair of dumpster diving children, a funeral with “full cereal honors," a Frankenstein-like creation, and a mascot uprising. There’s far too much going on, cluttering the film when it should solely be about the creation of the Pop-Tart and not absurdist distractions. 

 

The cast is absolutely loaded with comedians, character actors and cameos galore. The film doesn’t take itself overly serious and handles the premise more like a skit, which is the exact thing it should be doing. From over the top reactions to purposeful overacting, Unfrosted has the ingredients to be a satirical retelling of a historical story from the 60s. The script and dialogue is where the film suffers, doubling down on the repetitive breakfast humor. 

 

What’s so unfortunate is with the level of talent at the forefront, it's disappointing that side characters like Snap, Crackle and Pop are the stand-outs, while the names featured on the poster hardly leave an impression. Unfrosted plays its humor a bit too close to the cuff, a bit too safe and limited. There’s only a minimal amount of worthwhile laugh out loud moments, and beyond that the film feels instantly stale.