Hot Frosty Movie Review: An effervescent Christmas rom-com with plenty of charm

A snowman (Dustin Milligan) falls in love with a widow (Lacey Chabert)? The premise may sound ridiculous, but director Jerry Ciccoritti’s new Netflix rom-com Hot Frosty somehow makes it work. The sheer charisma and charm of its two leads, Milligan and Chabert, may alone suffice to make you overlook its overdose of frothy Christmas references.

Director: Jerry Ciccoritti

Cast: Dustin Milligan, Lacey Chabert, Craig Robinson

Streamer: Netflix

Even two years after her husband’s passing, Kathy is not over the loss. The cracked ceiling and broken staircase step in her home signify how much she fails to look after herself. Ironically, Kathy works at a local restaurant and makes it a point to take care of everyone in the community. When the snow sculpture on which she places a red scarf turns into a real man, little does Kathy know what destiny has in store for her.

The best aspect of Hot Frosty is that Milligan and Chabert play their characters and complement each other so well. It tends to look clumsy when an adult plays a man-child in cinema, but Milligan strikes a delicate balance between endearing and silly, ensuring that Jack remains charming rather than cloying. Milligan finds that perfect metre as the snowman turned Jack, and even when the characterisation reduces him to a type, the actor never exaggerates his character or makes it seem unnatural. He has a sense of self-awareness whenever Jack says, “I am a snowman.” As the talkative Jack, he is a perfect foil to Chabert’s self-effacing and sometimes subdued Kathy. The film works like magic when Ciccoritti keeps the focus on the two leads.

However, the film becomes a bit of a drag whenever it turns attention to a series of repetitive gags involving a boastful police officer (Craig Robinson) who takes his job too seriously. Some of the jokes involving Robinson’s character do land, such as one about how the community has been crimefree for a hundred years. However, many others border on being cringeworthy. It also does not help that the film uses the cop character to create a conflict in the plot, only to drive home superficial messages about the importance of Christmas. Speaking of which, Hot Frosty only uses its Christmas backdrop to add a festive touch; it does not delve deeply into the significance of the occasion. The conflict solves itself with the good old, “Let it go; it is Christmas, after all” kind of sentiment. The sudden transformation of a character in the festive context feels contrived at the end, even in a tale as fantastical as Hot Frosty. Like a thick layer of snow, the Christmas references sometimes hinder the narrative, notwithstanding its earnest intentions.

Despite its flaws, Hot Frosty is a charming and heartwarming film that is perfect for a cosy night in. The film plays to its strengths for the most part and rides on the chemistry of its two leads. They make its themes of the power of love to heal and the therapeutic effect of an embrace seem so enchanting. What's not to like?