Twisting holiday traditions in irreverently welcome ways, “Hot Frosty” director Jerry Ciccoretti and writer Russell Heinlein redesign the look and feel of the familiar show made of snow. Their story centers on a wannabe widow who magically turns a snowman into a giant piece of cloth, and balances its sillier aspects with a poignant sense of sincerity. They got rid of the cartoon character’s corn tube, charcoal eyes and rounded body, and replaced these features with thick biceps, chiseled bone structure, and chiseled abs. The narrative offers some refreshing highlights for Netflix’s Holiday Cinematic Universe, specifically acknowledging its target audience’s yearning for a sprinkling of vulgar, brutal lust alongside suave, real drama.
To set the tone, the camera pans on its opening descent into the picturesque town of Hope Springs, from a quaint, festively decorated two-story house to the unadorned house next door where Cathy (Lacey Chabert) resides. She’s a mess, and so is her house. It’s a complete mess with broken central heating, a hole in the stairs, a leaking roof, and take-out containers strewn everywhere. Perhaps this is the physical manifestation of lingering grief from losing her reformed husband to cancer years earlier. However, her thoughtful spirit is not broken as she takes pride in taking care of her customers at Kathy’s Kafe (a small-town diner so eccentric that the word “cafe” requires it to be spelled with a “k”).
In the days before Christmas, Cathy’s married friends return her kindness with a cozy red scarf, hoping it will bring her extra joy and seasonal magic. It is certainly so. Kathy wraps him around a funky snowman statue in the central square, and in the middle of the night as snowflakes swirl and magic bells ring on the soundtrack, he transforms into a sexy, naked man named Jack (Dustin Milligan). Cathy pities him and feels wrong and allows him to stay at her house. He’s warmly welcomed by the other women in town, but the disaster he causes on his first night leads to a lukewarm reception from Sheriff Hunter (Craig Robinson) and Deputy Schatz (Joe Lo Truglio). However, time and temperature are not on the side of the potential couple. Cathy is forced to make a decision whether to remain frozen when it comes to romance or melt her heart.
Although much of this may sound like a remake of Splash, the subtleties of this festive film exceed its predecessor, thanks to some added charm and ingenuity. The nice, satisfying encounter precision has been tightened for maximum efficiency. Rather than blatantly embodying the leading man, there’s a clever logic to all this neglect: he gets too hot with clothes. Jack’s out-of-water circumstances, while actually funny, mostly revolve around the hip-hopa factor of being naked at inopportune times: as he wanders through town in front of elderly citizens, he almost unwittingly gets naked in front of Cathy and takes off his shirt. In the cold outdoors, a horny woman (Lauren Holly) gets into an accident. The gender-flipped montage isn’t necessarily the refreshing game-changer it once was for the rom-com genre. But as a parody of Pretty Woman, it will likely appeal to more cynical viewers.
Conflicts and mysteries do not overstay their welcome, nor do they overcomplicate themselves. Jack isn’t just there to help Cathy’s arc and vice versa. They both complement and save each other from varying degrees of danger: she helps him stay frozen, and thus alive, and he helps her allow love back into her life. From her inner conflict — her romantic drive reflected through the house thermostat — to the inspired influences of It’s a Wonderful Life, the film’s serious qualities resonate even in its heightened comedic setting.
Eagle-eyed NHCU fans are sure to have a great time spotting all the callbacks cleverly integrated throughout. Not only does she allude to the motherland in “The Christmas Prince” or reference the movie “Single All the Way,” but she’s clever enough to earn laughs by dropping two movie references at once in a self-conscious joke from Chabert after she saw co-star Lindsay Lohan in “Mean Girls” in the movie “Falling for Christmas.”
Chabert, having recently abdicated the throne as the reigning queen of Hallmark movies, gracefully negotiates the broader comedic undertones of the material, grounding magical realism in emotional honesty. She gifts the protagonist with deep wells of wisdom, perseverance, and vulnerability. Milligan gives a muscular performance, channeling naïve innocence with a quick wit and compelling command, and outfitting his character with a bright interior. Although Katie Mixon Greer doesn’t get much attention in her supporting role as Cathy’s friend Dr. Dotty, Lo Truglio’s dim-witted cop style adds to the action. Robinson is also funny as the antagonist, but he has the misfortune of pulling off the film’s weakest scene when his character mistakes a simple wordplay for a metaphor.
Beneath the eye-catching title “Hot Frosty” lies a sweet, surprising feature about healing from tragedy. It’s also just a goofy, lovable no-brainer to tap on when you want to escape. The heartfelt sentiment combined with Coldplay’s musical boost on the soundtrack makes for a fun and saucy secret Santa gift with soul.