Summary
Director Jerry Ciccoritti does enough to make this a passable, heartwarming Christmas movie.
I think it’s important to add that Hot Frosty may sound like your typical Christmas movie, but it does have a meaning that’s warm to the heart—the kind of warmth where you nestle next to the fire and enjoy a cup of mulled wine while you watch it snow outside. Or maybe my longing for festivities was high while viewing this Netflix film.
And, to be fair, it is a typical Christmas movie. As I’ve said many times, Hallmark-type movies are hit-and-miss and rely on the chemistry of the leading cast – if they fail, the film fails. If you do these movies many times, the success rate gets thinner.
Mixing Jack Frost with a similar vibe to Elf, Hot Frosty follows widowed Cathy (Lacey Chabert – His & Hers, Lost in Space, Batman: Caped Crusader), who brings a snowman to life at a snow sculpture festival. Jack Snowman (a very muscly and chiseled Dustin Milligan – Schitt’s Creek) helps Cathy find ways to heal and love again during the holidays. And just like Olaf from Frozen, Jack Snowman is doomed to melt.
Hot Frosty is a soft and fluffy film, but it’s oddly funny, too. Sheriff Nathaniel Hunter (played by Craig Robinson – The Office) bamboozles around the town, looking for a crime in a crimeless place, which adds a particular dimension to the film. The romantic comedy does not want anyone to take this seriously at all. The film wants its viewers to let go and relax.
Jack Snowman has yet to learn how to be a human being, which is not ideal, especially given that 1) he’s attractive, so women cannot stop looking at him, and 2) many of the townspeople have a lot of interest in him. Like Elf, Jack Snowman makes educated guesses on how to be a man and almost accidentally charms Cathy out of her grief.
But, we have seen this before, and better. Like Tom Hank in Big and Will Ferrell’s Buddy, it takes a lot to overcome those great performances—credit Dustin Milligan for trying. In the context of a generic Netflix film, he does enough.
Of course, life and death are the epicenters of Cathy’s character development. The theme of “bringing life back into Christmas” takes hold. Yes, she may be widowed, but Hot Frosty wants her to snap out of it because there’s a hunky new man that’s come out for the snow, which is ready for her – in a nutshell, that is the story, circling the usual festivities a Christmas film brings.
As the film progresses, you will be invested in Jack and Cathy: will they be together? Can they be together? How can they be together? With Jack at risk of melting, not only is the film’s objective to sell a convincing love story, but Jack has a mission to bring togetherness amongst the town. I surely enjoyed the theme of interpersonal relationships.
Director Jerry Ciccoritti’s (My Life with the Walter Boys) provides just enough spirit for Hot Frosty to pass the bar. It’s charming, heartwarming, and brings the festive spirit to play. And the script isn’t too shabby, either. Expectations are pretty low for a Christmas movie, but I enjoyed it.
