Jerry Seinfeld Directs a High-Concept Movie About How Pop-Tarts Are Kinda Cool
‘Unfrosted,’ writer-director Jerry Seinfeld’s movie about the creation of the Pop-Tart, is almost out the toaster and will feature Melissa McCarthy, Amy Schumer, Hugh Grant, and more.
What’s the deal with movies? Seems like Hollywood will adapt any bankable IP it can get its grubby mitts on these days, be it a book, a TV series, or a highly processed foodstuff. Or, in this case, a stand-up bit about a highly processed foodstuff. Jerry Seinfeld stars in, directs, and co-produces Unfrosted, a comedy film about the invention of the Pop-Tart. The script is based on a riff from a stand-up routine that isn’t exactly a joke, per se, but is more of a short ramble about how Pop-Tarts made him happy as a child. (The Corn Pop vibes are deafening.) Here’s everything we know about the toasty movie.
Let’s pop up the trailer
Breakfast pastries are getting hard launched during the official trailer of Unfrosted. Kellogg’s and Post are basically mirroring the space race for who can invent the jam-filled “shelf stable” treat the fastest and make it the tastiest (they even meet with the president; it’s serious stuff.) 60s staples like suburban homes and dancing with your arms close to your side remind us this all happened during the cold war era.
Who’s getting frosted?
The all-star cast is full of comedians people have really strong feelings about, some comedians people don’t think about much in general, and regular old actors. Joining Seinfeld are Melissa McCarthy, Jim Gaffigan, Amy Schumer, Hugh Grant, Peter Dinklage, Mikey Day, Kyle Mooney, Max Greenfield, Christian Slater, Bill Burr, Daniel Levy, James Marsden, Jack McBrayer, Thomas Lennon, Bobby Moynihan, Adrian Martinez, Sarah Cooper, and Fred Armisen.
Is Papa Pop-Tart involved in any way?
It’s unclear how much the actual inventor of Pop-Tarts, William Post, contributed to the making of the film, or if he’ll appear in it. The legendary Kellogg’s employee died February 10, 2024, just days after Tudum shared the first look of Seinfeld’s toasted film. “Godspeed Bill Post. You bent pastry and fruit filling to your will and convinced parents to serve dessert for breakfast,” Seinfeld wrote on Instagram. “May you find two slots in eternity and rest in lightly brown glory.”
What inspired Seinfeld to make this anyhow?
“Stuck at home watching endless sad faces on TV I thought this would be a good time to make something based on pure silliness,” Seinfeld told Deadline in 2021. “So we took my Pop-Tart stand-up bit from my last Netflix special and exploded it into a giant, crazy comedy movie.” Regardless of the subject matter, which sounds as thin as the delectable breakfast pastries, we’re thrilled that we get to see Seinfeld star in a movie. Not since he voiced Barry B. Benson in Bee Movie have we had the pleasure. We hope the movie starts with voiceover saying, “According to all known laws of gastronomy, there is no way that a tart should be able to pop.” Check out a clip of the stand-up routine, below.
Ok, when does this pastry pop?
Netflix will release the film on May 3. Ding!
This post has been updated.