You know it’s strange days indeed when you see Jerry Seinfeld in a movie. Famously, the stand-up comedian would turn down thousands of offers to appear in a film, but I suppose the idea of one about breakfast cereals wore him down. A silly offering from Netflix, Unfrosted is set in Michigan but was filmed entirely in L.A., perhaps because it was more trouble than it was worth to get Seinfeld out of California.
Filming Locations Explained
Although the story takes place in Michigan, Unfrosted made in and around LA. Seinfeld would produce a sitcom that lasted nine seasons set in New York but was all filmed in California, so it makes sense that he would return to where he worked for so long to film his latest project.
The locations used were dressed not only to look like Michigan, but also to convey the 1960s aesthetic, so a lot of time was taken to make sure the film felt right, and it shows. Costume and set-wise, it does manage to capture the era, and there is also a bright color palate that helps create the right mood.
Although a lot of the filming seems to be done on studio sets, something the Seinfeld TV series would do on a weekly basis, the location work does its job of disguising LA for Michigan.
An article in the Hollywood Reporter would reveal that some inspiration for the film would come from rewatching episodes of Mad Men. One more noticeable location was UC Irvine’s Alrich Hall, which doubled for the Kellog’s HQ in the film, and filming there was spotted by eagle-eyed star spotters on X.
As far as filming goes, Seinfeld himself would confirm the shooting would all take place in LA, and What’s On Netflix would reveal the statement that Seinfeld made about the filming process: “We are so happy to get the California tax credit which enables us to make our whole movie there,” said Seinfeld,
“Having made all of the Seinfeld series in L.A., I very much wanted to come back and shoot there again. On behalf of everyone working on the movie, we really appreciate the great welcome.”
Why Did Jerry Seinfeld Want To Do This Film?
Fans of the Seinfeld show will know that Jerry would frequently wax lyrical about the joy of breakfast cereal, a notion that would also feature in his stand-up routines.
An interview with the star on Deadline would also explain his idea behind the film with Jerry explaining what he was working on during the Covid-19 pandemic:
“Stuck at home watching endless sad faces on TV, I thought this would be a good time to make something based on pure silliness. So we took my Pop-Tart stand-up bit from my last Netflix special and exploded it into a giant, crazy comedy movie.”
Production Timeline
The idea for Unfrosted would be hatched during the pandemic, so here’s everything that followed to get the feature onto Netflix.
- By September 2021 the filming schedule was set to start in Spring 2022.
- The filming began in May 2022 and was to continue through to July 2022.
- The first trailer would drop on March 28th, 2024.
- Unfrosted was released on May 3rd, 2024.
Other Movies by Jerry Seinfeld
Seinfeld has never been interested in film. His first love has always been stand-up, and this was the initial hook behind the incredibly popular TV series Seinfeld. However, he has appeared briefly in some other productions, although these are mainly cameos in documentaries.
In 1996, he appeared in the comedy film Eddie, which starred Whoopi Goldberg, and he would have another blink-and-miss-it moment in the 1999 comedy Pros and Cons.
In 2007, Seinfeld would co-write and produce the animated film Bee Movie, and in 2013 he would also pop up in another stand-up-led comedy movie, Top Five, but he would not be credited for the appearance.
After a few more documentaries, that would be it until this 2024 Netflix production.
