Hot Frosty Parent Guide

Since her husband’s death, Kathy’s (Lacey Chabert) chilly house mirrors the state of her heart. Living on auto-pilot and busy running her diner, Kathy hasn’t arranged to repair the furnace (or the roof), so she wanders about wrapped in a blanket and winter woollies. Then she places a “lucky scarf” around the neck of a very ripped snowman, and her life starts to thaw…

When Kathy meets Jack (Dustin Milligan), she believes that his story of being a snowman brought to life is proof of mental instability. But as she spends more time with him, feels his cold hands and sees his intolerance to warmth, she begins to believe there might be something to his tale. As she witnesses his child-like enthusiasm, expressive emotions, and sincere desire to help others, her heart is touched. Is it possible for Kathy to love again? And is a romance with a man who just might melt away a good thing or is it another path to heartache?

I have a hard time coming up with words to describe Hot Frosty. “Dumb” feels too kind. Ditto for “inane”. “Vapid” and “vacuous” get closer. Maybe “unbearably stupid and mind-numbingly predictable” is nearer to the target. All I can tell you is that watching this movie kills brain cells. I swear I lost ten IQ points in 90 minutes.

I realize that my opinion will irk rom-com fans, but don’t send me hate mail just yet. Look, I get it. We all want mindless holiday movies where we can relax and feel good after a stressful day of work, laundry, Christmas shopping, kid-wrangling, and cookie decorating. I have no problem with run-of-the-mill romantic comedies. But is it too much to ask that the plot be at least credible? A snowman coming to life is suitable for children’s films; not for adults. It’s ridiculous. And the idea that the town sheriff is going to be obsessed with catching someone for minor infractions and will throw him in jail over Christmas is even more absurd. Plot hole after plot hole crop up during this film: in fact, there are so many holes in this tale you could play mini-golf with the script. (And don’t even get me started with how bad the fake snow looks.)

Before I’m accused of being the Grinch, I will try to come up with something nice to say about this film…….Got it! The script does a great job of highlighting kindness and neighborliness. Kathy is a sensitive, thoughtful person, who brings lunch to neighboring retailers, knowing that they have a busy day ahead. She also offers a meal to an unknown man with no name or memories and kindly (or foolishly) offers him a room in her home. Jack demonstrates a strong desire to help others, and in the movie’s strongest moment, explains to Kathy that he is doing home repairs for people and helping out at the junior high school because he wants to use his limited time to help people. Since the message is nice, and the movie only winks at being naughty, you might decide that Hot Frosty is your choice for a mindless evening of clean romance. I won’t judge you; but don’t be surprised if you’re disappointed.