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Hot Frosty

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Hot Frosty
Release poster
Directed byJerry Ciccoritti
Written byRussell Hainline
Produced by
  • Joel S. Rice
  • Michael Barbuto
Starring
CinematographyÉric Cayla
Edited byJulia Blua
Music byAri Posner
Production
company
Distributed byNetflix
Release date
  • November 13, 2024 (2024-11-13)
Running time
92 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Hot Frosty is a 2024 American Christmas romantic comedy film directed by Jerry Ciccoritti, written by Russell Hainline, and starring Lacey Chabert, Dustin Milligan, Katy Mixon Greer, Lauren Holly, Chrishell Stause, Joe Lo Truglio, and Craig Robinson.

A widow counters her loneliness with a magical snowman brought to life.[2]

The film was released on Netflix on November 13, 2024.

Plot

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The snowman fairytale is set in Hope Springs, NY where Kathy Barrett owns and operates Kathy's Kafé downtown. A widow, her husband was a handyman, so now her heat is out, the roof leaks, and a staircase step is broken.

Arriving to work, Kathy sees a snow sculpture competition in town. She brings her friends Theo and Mel at the nearby clothing shop Reclaimed Rags lunch, who give her a red winter scarf 'destined' for her, encouraging her to seek happiness as she struggles to move on from the recent death. On her way home Kathy stops to admire the snowmen, placing the scarf on the muscular one, then takes a photo.

As Kathy walks away, the sculpted snowman magically comes to life. He runs from an elderly couple he surprises, accidentally breaking the clothing shop's window. He puts on overalls and galoshes from the shop. In the morning Kathy finds him talking to the other snowmen. As the overalls are labeled 'Jack', she assumes it is his name. He explains his first memory is of her placing the scarf on him and the camera flash.

At the town doctor, Jack's temperature is confirmed to be below freezing. Kathy takes him home, as Sheriff Nate is seeking the 'criminal'. Jack has an excited, childlike reaction to everything. Kathy asks him to hide out in her house for now.

When Kathy arrives home that evening, Jack surprises her with homemade pizza, which he learned to make watching a cooking show. He asks her about her husband Paul, who died of cancer. The house is in disrepair because he always fixed everything. When they see a commercial about Hawaii on TV, Jack wants to go there. Kathy explains that Hawaii is too warm for Jack and too expensive. He constantly says he loves her and hugs her, both of which make her uncomfortable.

The next morning, as Jack is fixing the leaky roof thanks to a DIY program. Kathy's older neighbor, distracted at the sight of the shirtless man, crashes into a snowbank. Concerned, Jack pushes her car out, after which she convinces him to do some handywork in her house. There, she has friends over to watch Jack make repairs.

One of them asks Jack to aid her son, the middle school principal, to prepare for an imminent dance, as he is short-staffed. They then bring him to Kathy's diner, where he and Kathy are approached by the inquisitive sheriff. She reminds Jack that he is looking to arrest him, so he needs to be more discreet.

At the middle school, as Jack helps decorate the hall for the winter dance, he overhears a student successfully invite another teen to the dance. Feeling inspired, Jack invites Kathy to be his date. She accepts and then takes him clothes shopping. Jack gives Kathy a silver snowflake necklace before heading to the dance. After dancing, she realises he is overheating, so takes him outside to cool down. They almost kiss, but Jack fears Kathy might get hurt when he melts away.

On Christmas Eve, the whole town gathers at the diner. Serving eggnog, Kathy's speech gets interrupted by the sheriff, who arrests Jack, to everyone's disapproval. The doctor explains that Jack is a snowman, and everyone agrees that Christmas is a time for such magic. When Kathy tries to get Jack back from the station, Sheriff Nate demands $2,000 bail.

Kathy empties the diner's safe for the money, but is short. Although everyone comes from the diner to the station to help, there still is not enough. The teen who had inspired Jack at the dance turns out to be the sheriff's son, and offers to contribute the remaining amount. Nate backs down, returning the bail money. Kathy then gets Jack outside, but he no longer moves. Assuming he is dead, she kisses him, takes the red scarf and starts to leave with everyone. Jack comes back to life, shivering and functioning like a real human. The two finally kiss.

Continuing to live together, Kathy and Jack exchange presents. He gives her a home repair book, so she is able to fix the heater. Kathy gets them plane tickets to Hawaii, and they head off together.

Cast

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Production

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The film is directed by Jerry Ciccoritti and written by Russell Hainline. Joel S. Rice and Michael Barbuto produced for Muse Entertainment.[3] The lead cast includes Lacey Chabert, Dustin Milligan, Katy Mixon Greer, Lauren Holly, Chrishell Stause, Joe Lo Truglio, and Craig Robinson[4] Filming took place in Canada in April and May 2024, with filming locations including Ottawa, Brockville and Pakenham, Ontario.[5][6]

Release

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The film was released on Netflix on November 13, 2024.[7][8]

Reception

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On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 86% of 21 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6/10.[9] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 52 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "Hot Frosty (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. November 12, 2024. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  2. ^ "'Hot Frosty', Netflix holiday rom-com casts Lacey Chabert in lead". The News. May 13, 2024. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  3. ^ Grobar, Matt (May 13, 2024). "Lacey Chabert To Topline Netflix Holiday Rom-Com 'Hot Frosty'; Dustin Milligan, Joe Lo Truglio & Craig Robinson Among Others Set". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  4. ^ Baalla, Sara (May 14, 2024). "Selling Sunset's Chrishell Stause lands Netflix movie role". Digital Spy. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  5. ^ Elliott, Dale C. (May 14, 2024). "Movie Filmed in Brockville a Netflix Holiday Rom-Com, 'Hot Frosty'". Hometowntv12.ca. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  6. ^ Kumar Jha, Ranjeet (May 15, 2024). "Lacey Chabert Brings Magic to Life in 'Hot Frosty' in 2024". Postforall. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  7. ^ Stephan, Katcy (May 13, 2024). "Lacey Chabert to Lead Netflix Holiday Rom-Com 'Hot Frosty'". Variety. Retrieved May 16, 2024.
  8. ^ Schimautz, Julia (August 28, 2024). "The New Netflix Movies You Can Watch This Fall". Netflix. Retrieved August 28, 2024.
  9. ^ "Hot Frosty". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved November 20, 2024.
  10. ^ "Hot Frosty". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved November 21, 2024.
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