In general I made myself a rule around Christmas time: only review 1-2 of those Hallmark or Hallmark adjacent movies per season amidst the sea of 5,283,284 of them, all basically 2.5 starts. The special selection for review is not probably the best of the bunch, but the one with either the most ludicrous actor resurrection, or the most ludicrous premise. And since Lindsay Lohan got the accolades last year, this year we’ve got Hot Frosty, the premise that Hallmark wishes they pursued but that feisty Netflix streamer beat em to it.
It’s tough sledding for Kathy Barrett (Lacey Chabert), the well meaning but emotionally shut off/overwhelmed diner owner in small town Hope Springs. Local clothing store owner Mel (Sherry Miller) feels Kathy’s pain, and decides to gift her a scarf. But this is not just any scarf, cause Mel used it to find the love of her life (sure!). Of course, immediately, Kathy notices the super hunky snowman (double dog sure!) doesn’t have a scarf when all the other snowmen do. Hmm, I wonder what’s gonna happen to that super hunky snowman (Dustin Milligan, triple dog sure!) when that scarf goes around his neck?
Credit to Hot Frosty’s success is the casting director. Usually these films are filled out with completely over the hill actors who’ve lost their comedic touches or are using touches that worked in 1972. Not the case here: Craig Robinson, Joe Lo Truglio, and Katy Mixon were are leads or co-leads in many movies/sitcoms, so they’re ready and willing to give this movie their personal brands of magic. So Craig writes a song and has the stupidest showdown with Jack (obviously the snowman’s name) over ice, Joe Lo Truglio brings a weird adorable stalker energy to the proceedings, and Katy Mixon is maybe the horniest doctor about to lose her medical license through her “diagnoses” of the situation. Most importantly, Dustin Milligan was Alexis Rose’s perfect paramour Ted, basically doing the exaggerated version of his Schitt’s Creek character everyone already loved to begin with, just shirtless. All these performers that Hot Frosty’s attempts at comedy and put their Christmas spirit into it, taking what would have been dead silence at at least conjuring a few laughs, and may chuckles.
At least the script does one thing right. Hot Frosty remains super hot because he never pressures the vulnerable Kathy. He gives her time to fall in love with him, while he goes on his own mini adventures in the school to make Kathy like him for more than just his rock hard bod. Like Ted on Schitt’s Creek, Milligan’s aw shucksness wins the audience over, and looks very cute with Lacey Chabert’s Kathy, nobly playing the straight woman around the relative all-star cast she fell into. The changes Kathy undergoes are her choice, inspired by Hot Frosty, not forced to change by him.
And with Hot Frosty on Netflix, this is destined to be a winner for a few weeks! It’s gonna hum in the background, waiting for Craig Robinson to do something funny, or Dustin Milligan to show up shirtless again. At least the movie has Kathy have residence in her small town already, instead of frazzlingly moving there after her big corporate job goes asunder like all other Vancouver based Hallmark movies start.