Jim Gaffigan, Jerry Seinfeld, Fred Armisen, and Melissa McCarthy. John P. Johnson / Netflix
Jerry Seinfeld spent two years writing a joke about Pop Tarts, so it’s only fitting that he’s turned it into a movie.
Unfrosted: The Pop Tart Story comes to Netflix in May and outlines the fictional origins of the “frosted, fruit-filled, heatable rectangle in the same shape as the box it comes in.” Seinfeld directed and stars in the film.
The movie follows rivals Kellogg’s and Post as they compete in the early 1960s to create a game-changing breakfast pastry.
Few comedians could convince a horde of other comics to participate in such a project, but Seinfeld has managed to do just that, compiling an A-list cast to portray everyone from Kellogg’s executives to Tony the Tiger.
Jerry Seinfeld, Melissa McCarthy, and James Marsden. Getty Images; FilmMagic; Getty Images
What is ‘Unfrosted: The Pop Tart Story’ About?
Seinfeld teases the film, which tracks the origin of the Pop Tart, as a “colorful, dumb, silly comedy.” The official synopsis says it covers the “ambition, betrayal, sugar and menacing milkmen” of Kellogg’s and Post.
The film will mostly be fiction, but Seinfeld teased via X that “a few parts we did not make up.”
Why Did Seinfeld Make a Movie About Pop Tarts?
The idea for the film comes from a joke Seinfeld told in his Netflix special 23 Hours to Kill, in which he dissects the origin of the Pop Tart and its place in the breakfast pantheon of the 1960s.
“It was the ’60s and we had toast,” he said. “We had orange juice that was frozen years in advance that you had to hack away at with a knife to get a couple of drops, and it felt like you were committing a murder before you got on your school bus … shredded wheat, which was like wrapping your lips around a wood chipper.”
A comedian and his kids! Jerry Seinfeld and wife Jessica Seinfeld welcomed three children after tying the knot in 1999. The duo became first-time parents in 2000 with the birth of their daughter, Sascha. They further expanded their brood with sons Julian and Shepherd, born in 2003 and 2005, respectively. The Comedians in Cars Getting […]
Then came the Pop Tart.
“The back of my head blew right off,” he recalled.
That special aired at the beginning of the pandemic, and as Seinfeld sat in quarantine, he got the idea to expand the bit into a film.
“Stuck at home watching endless sad faces on TV I thought this would be a good time to make something based on pure silliness,” he told Deadline. “So we took my Pop Tart stand-up bit from my last Netflix special and exploded it into a giant, crazy comedy movie.”
Who Stars in ‘Unfrosted: The Pop Tart Story’?
In addition to Seinfeld, the comedian has compiled a murderer’s row of comedians. The ensemble cast includes Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, Amy Schumer, Hugh Grant (as Tony the Tiger), James Marsden, Bobby Moynihan, Christian Slater, Jack McBrayer, Dan Levy, Fred Armisen and more.
When Will ‘Unfrosted: The Pop Tart Story’ Be Released?
The movie will be available on Netflix on May 3.
Is ‘Unfrosted: The Pop Tart Story’ Part of a Balanced Breakfast?
As Seinfeld says in his bit, Pop Tarts have “the same nutritional value as the box they come in.”
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