‘Hot Frosty’ review: Great news for snowman fetishists

Jerry Ciccoritti’s Hot Frosty may not be perfect but it knows exactly what its audience wants and delivers a blizzard’s worth.

To most viewers, the Hallmark Christmas movie is more of a vibe than a part of the Hallmark brand. And it’s a vibe that Netflix has been more than happy to cash in on, shooting their own Hallmark(-esque) Christmas movies all year long so they can release a steady stream each holiday season. Hot Frosty is the highest profile release in some time, though others have already hit the platform. But Hot Frosty is also very unique: It’s more absurd, more meme-able, and frankly, it’s quite a bit hornier.

The premise of Hot Frosty is exactly what the title implies — a sexy snowman comes to life. If that sounds like a Chuck Tingle novella, that’s because it absolutely is. But this is also a Hallmark-like Christmas movie, so it features a woman who is too focused on her career to find love. This time around that’s Kathy (Lacey Chabert), a widowed cafe owner. Kathy is still mourning her late husband despite her friends insisting it’s time to move on. But when she leaves a scarf on the hottest snowman in the town snowman competition, the fully nude snowman (Dustin Milligan) comes to life in the form of the overly earnest and chronically shirtless Jack.

🎵Frosty the nude man🎵

Kathy is forced to take Jack in when the local police (Craig Robinson and Joe Lo Truglio) make it their mission to track down the “streaker” whose appearance has upset the balance of the normally peaceful town. Viewers won’t be surprised when sparks fly, nor will they bat an eye when Jack’s boyish charm helps him win over the townspeople. But they’ll probably be surprised with just how overstuffed the film is. This is a genre that thrives on simplicity, yet Hot Frosty is practically bursting at the seams with sideplots and supporting characters that don’t do much other than make things more complicated.

The film (rightfully) avoids explaining the mystery behind its magic but drags Jack to a doctor to diagnose him as being a snowman. It then delays the romance in order to better establish Kathy and Jack as characters, but does spend several scenes establishing that Kathy is practically the only woman in the town not actively lusting after Jack. Even Robinson’s scenery-chewing villain — despite the actor’s great performance — seems largely a distraction from the film’s strengths. It often feels like the film is trying to laugh at the absurdity of its premise, but it reeks of insecurity.

Whether it’s a cozy conversation or watching Jack do housework shirtless, Hot Frosty shines in its quietest moments. It’s much like any other Hallmark Christmas movie that way. And the film, despite all its undeniable strengths, would have been even better had it embraced those aspects of itself instead of trying to explain the parts of it that are different.

Charm and cozies.

But most of the story works just fine. And, thankfully, the cast is able to move things along when the script doesn’t. Milligan, who is seemingly doing his best to channel Brendan Fraser in George of the Jungle, especially shines. Good thing, too, as a leading man with less charm could get viewers caught up on the technicalities of human/snowman romance. Chabert has no problem balancing the comedy and drama required by her somewhat inconsistent character. And even though his character doesn’t make much sense, Robinson is clearly having a blast in his role.

Odie Henderson of The Boston Globe decried Hot Frosty as “a porn movie if all the sex were removed and the ridiculous threadbare plot were fleshed out instead.” With all respect to Henderson, isn’t that sort of the point? Russell Hainline’s script openly rejects the opportunity to explore the minutiae of the magic that brings Jack to life. Jerry Ciccoritti’s direction and Eric Cayla’s cinematography never turn to intrigue when warm fuzzies will do. Because Hot Frosty understands that its audience is more interested in vibes than it is in auteurs. And it respects that audience enough to deliver.

The bottom line.

Netflix’s foray into Hallmark-esque Christmas movies means easy fodder for critics and casual moviegoers who look down on the genre. But the viewers that love these movies love what they’re getting. And with Hot Frosty, it’s clear there’s still room for plenty of innovation even within the same basic framework. If you’re looking for some heartfelt vibes this holiday season, look no further.

Hot Frosty is streaming now on Netflix. You can watch the trailer here.

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Images courtesy of Netflix. You can read more articles by Brogan Luke Bouwhuis here.