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There are dozens of corny Christmas films released quietly each year. The Hallmark Channel specialises in them. Now it seems Netflix is trying to get into the same market. For the most part these seasonal movies will stay largely below the cultural radar. They’ll catch enough streaming views to make their existence worthwhile but won’t really be talked about in schools or workplaces and other than the occasional special interest piece, they’ll stay out of media discussions as well. 

For some reason though Hot Frosty has made a bit more of a mark. It’s not because it’s got a few recognisable people in the cast; a lot of these films have actors taking a paycheque while their career takes a dip. It’s also not because the quality of the thing is particularly good; having that title for a movie about a snowman that comes alive as a muscular thirty something human and spends the early part of the story with his shirt off, does tell you all that you need to know. There is a bit in the film where female lead Lacey Chabert, whose biggest role was as Gretchen in 2004’s Mean Girls, sees a clip of Lindsey Lohan on the TV in another of these types of films from a couple of years ago, and comments on how she thinks she went to school with her. This clip, riding high on the Mean Girls nostalgia prompted by the recent remake, has gone viral and this has probably helped the movie get out there. Out there it is though, there it is in Netflix most streamed top ten, just above M3gan and Ready or Not and surrounded by other cheesy Christmas romances that are riding high on the algorithm set by the success of this. 

I’ve given this one a go then but I think I’ll be stopping here. Don’t expect to see reviews from me on The Merry Gentleman or Meet Me Next Christmas. Hot Frosty wears its ridiculousness on its sleeve with such bold confidence that I instantly respected it though and having given it an hour of my time I kind of had to see it through to the end. It is pretty dumb; the aforementioned snowman is brought to life when an apparently magic scarf is placed around his neck and despite looking like a real guy is apparently still made of snow throughout. He’s never really a traditional snowman in the first place either. The reason Chabert’s lonely widow gifts him the enchanted knitwear, unaware that there is anything special about this weave of red wool, is because he already looks all chiseled and sexy. Why someone has made what is effectively a snow sculpture of a naked hot guy is never questioned but it’s a bit odd and it’s clear that he’s actually built of moulded polystyrene rather than frozen water anyway.

I’m not sure whether this is actually meant to be a knowing comedy. It plays a little like a parody but that may not be intentional. After a while Craig Robinson and Joe Lo Truglio from the hit show Brooklyn 99 show up as the town cops and they clearly think they are making a funny movie but they don’t actually bring any laughs. There is a shopping montage halfway through that did bring a smile to my face and an obvious Pretty Woman gag that I enjoyed. Generally though there is not much in the film that I can really describe as good. 

In the end though Hot Frosty is so honest about what it is and so well intentioned that I went with it. All this movie wants to do is bring a small amount of magic at Christmas time and I like it for that. It has absolutely no pretensions that it is anything more than it is so good luck to it. Do I recommend it? No. Neither do i begrudge it the time I gave it though and there are plenty of bigger budget and higher profile films from this year where that’s not the case, mostly it has to be said from this streamer (I’m talking about you Rebel Moon, Space Cadet and Mother of the Bride).

So Happy Christmas Hot Frosty and best wishes to all of those involved.