The Pop-Tart.
A classic American breakfast item consisting of a rectangular-shaped pastry with flavored filling on the inside and icing on the outside.
The inventor of the Pop-Tart, William Post, who worked for Kellogg’s, lived in Michigan and has just recently passed away.
On May 3, Netflix released Unfrosted, a movie spoofing the story of how the beloved Pop-Tart was invented.
The movie takes place in 1963 in Battle Creek, Michigan, where there was a rivalry between two massive cereal empires: Kellogg’s and Post Consumer Brands.
The beginning of the movie felt fairly normal, but as the film progressed, it went farther and farther off the rails. Throughout the movie, characters Bob Cabana (Jerry Seinfeld) at Kellogg’s and rival Marjorie Post (Amy Schumer) at Post were constantly insulting each other and belittling one another.
This movie was truly ridiculous. I had known it was a comedy when I started watching it, but it got increasingly weirder as it went on. I didn’t like it that much; it just felt paranormal and odd.
The whole course of the movie is both companies trying to find the next new breakfast item, with numerous sub-plots relating to breakfast sprinkled in there as well. One of them includes the milkmen and one includes the cereal mascots. Those are examples in which this movie truly got out of hand.
My favorite character is by far, Donna, or as she is nicknamed in the film, “Stan,” who is portrayed by the legendary Melissa McCarthy. Stan left Kellogg’s to go work for NASA but then came back to help Kellogg’s win the pastry race.
Whilst this movie is somewhat enjoyable, it is most certainly far from any truth of the real creation of Pop-Tarts. Some parts were funny, and some were enjoyable, while others made me want to shut it off.
The film had components that made it seem so far-fetched and ballistically unreal; while that is the point, I think they went a little too far, causing the movie to be unenjoyable. There were numerous times throughout watching it where I would audibly say “what” or “huh” because of how much this movie confused me.
I think some aspects of it could have been removed entirely, and the movie still would have been fine. Instances such as a man exploding, a Pop-Tart that came alive, and a protest with animals.
The cast definitely had some large names in it, with stars such as Jerry Seinfeld, Hugh Grant, Melissa McCarthy, and Amy Schumer—all comedic legends—portraying characters in this movie. While the movie was intended to be a sort of parody and a comedy, I would have enjoyed the story better if it was less out-of-the-box and more like a documentary or something along those lines.
If you are looking for a movie that is wild, crazy, and makes you want to go out and buy an abundance of Pop-Tart flavors to eat, I recommend this film. However, if you don’t like a film that makes you constantly wonder what is going on, this is not the film for you.
But, the next time I’m at the grocery store and walk by the Pop-Tarts, I know I will be thinking of this movie.
