Hot Frosty review
Hot Frosty has more than its share of corniness, but it’s a pretty charming Christmas movie that should melt the hearts of viewers willing to go along with it.
Kathy (Lacey Chabert, Young Justice) has understandably been having a rough time after losing her husband. Her house is in a sorry state of disrepair with a leaky roof and a busted HVAC system. As down as she might be, Kathy always tries to give back to her friends and fellow Hope Springs business owners especially during the Christmas season.
Hoping the holidays can bring some happiness, Kathy’s fellow store owner, Mel (Sherry Miller) offers her a scarf similar to the one she had when she met her husband. Kathy isn’t worried about meeting the love of her life (again) and places it on one of the entrants for the annual Hope Springs snow sculpture — a perfectly well-chiseled snowman.
Magically the snowman, Jack (Dustin Milligan, Schitt’s Creek), awakens and seeks out the woman who brought him to life. Kathy is taken aback by this naive, handsome stranger, but lets him crash at her home until she can make some sense of his arrival.
Maybe this premise is a bit goofy, but screenwriter Russell Hainline (The Santa Summit) is committed to it. Kathy might be kind, but she approaches Jack with the proper amount of skepticism and disbelief. Likewise, it’s not hard to see how Jack’s disarming nature and genuine desire to learn and help her out could lower her walls and appreciate him.
Chabert is never at a loss for work with rom com films on Hallmark, Lifetime or Netflix. It’s largely a result of her ability to make her characters so endearing and likable. That holds true with Hot Frosty as well almost right from the opening act.
Chabert instantly makes Kathy a character you want to see find happiness/true love by the time the end credits roll.
Milligan gives Jack a real childlike innocence without a trace of cynicism or sarcasm. There’s no sneaky, mischievous or slightly questionable character flaw. That could have made Jack a very boring romantic lead, but Milligan actually makes this vintage approach work just by making Jack a good-natured character.
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Hot Frosty has a quick throwaway line as Kathy turns on Netflix to find Falling for Christmas playing that might be my favorite unexpected joke of 2024.
As Kathy teaches Jack more about the real world and he experiences new things, including this particularly warm feeling he gets every time he’s near Kathy. Milligan and Chabert have decent chemistry. The bond between Kathy and Jack isn’t supposed to be this steamy, seductive love affair. Chabert and Milligan effectively sell the budding romance even in those moments with less dialogue.
Jack’s arrival didn’t go completely unnoticed as Sheriff Hunter (Craig Robinson) and his beleaguered deputy Ed (Joe Lo Truglio) try to figure out who was streaking in town and stole some clothing from Mel’s shop.
Robinson is in full ham mode. It’s an over-the-top performance that is so exaggerated that at times it feels like he’s in another movie. The trick is that it really works in Hot Frosty to have this melodramatic Scrooge-type character playing off of everyone else who’s so sweet and nice throughout.
Director Jerry Ciccoritti keeps Hot Frosty moving along at a good pace as Jack encounters more of the residents from the doctor (Katy Mixon Greer) and a pack of older women led by Lauren Holly who appreciate his willingness to do housework shirtless.
Hope Springs isn’t decorated out to a gaudy extreme — Ciccoritti has Jack slowly deck out Kathy’s house with decorations. The most elaborate Christmas setup is for the middle school dance.
Hot Frosty might be a little silly if you spend too much time trying to pick apart its plot holes like a loose thread on Jack’s scarf. But for those willing to embrace the slightly campy story, it could end up being one to add to the annual Christmas watch.
Rating: 8 out of 10
Photo Credit: Netflix
Been a while since you saw the classic? Check out Frosty the Snowman now on Amazon.
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