Hot Frosty

Hot Frosty
Release poster
Directed by	Jerry Ciccoritti
Written by	Russell Hainline
Produced by	Joel S. Rice Michael Barbuto
Starring	Lacey Chabert Dustin Milligan Katy Mixon Greer Lauren Holly Chrishell Stause Joe Lo Truglio Craig Robinson
Cinematography	Éric Cayla
Edited by	Julia Blua
Music by	Ari Posner
Production company	Muse Entertainment
Distributed by	Netflix
Release date	November 13, 2024 (2024-11-13)
Running time	92 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

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. Chabert plays Kathy, a widow who counters her loneliness with a magical snowman brought to life (portrayed by Milligan).

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

Plot

Kathy Barrett runs Kathy's Kafé in downtown Hope Springs, New York. Her husband, who died of cancer, was a handyman, but now her heat is out, the roof leaks and a step on her staircase is broken.

Kathy takes lunch to her friends Theo and Mel at their clothing shop Reclaimed Rags. They give her a red scarf "destined" for her, encouraging her to seek happiness after her bereavement. On her way home, she sees a snowman sculpture competition, and places the scarf on a muscular snowman and takes a picture.

Later that night, the snowman comes to life. As he runs from an elderly couple and their dogs, he accidentally falls through the clothing shop window. He grabs overalls and galoshes from the shop to wear. In the morning, Kathy finds him talking to the other snowmen and invites him into her diner for a bite to eat. She assumes the "Jack" name tag on the overalls is the newly human snowman's name, and asks what his first memory is. He replies it is of her placing the scarf on him, then the camera flash. The sheriff investigates the perceived clothing shop break-in and vows to find the perpetrator.

Jack is freezing to the touch, so Kathy takes him to the doctor who confirms Jack's body temperature to be below freezing. Kathy takes him home. When she arrives home that evening, Jack surprises her with homemade pizza, which he learned to make watching a cooking show. She is uncomfortable with Jack's constant hugs and expressions of love for her.

As Jack is fixing the roof, Kathy's neighbor drives into a snowbank, distracted at the sight of the shirtless man. Jack pushes her car out and she asks him to do some handywork in her house. She invites her friends over to watch. One of them asks Jack to aid her son, a short-staffed middle school principal, to prepare for a holiday dance, and he gives Jack a job as the school's maintenance staff. They bring him to Kathy's diner, where he and Kathy are approached by the sheriff. She reminds Jack that he needs to be more discreet.

Jack helps decorate the school hall, and overhears a student invite another to the dance. Inspired, Jack invites Kathy to be his date. She accepts and takes him suit shopping. Jack gives Kathy a silver snowflake necklace. At the dance, Kathy sees Jack is overheating and takes him outside to cool down. They almost kiss, but Jack fears Kathy might be hurt when he melts away.

On Christmas Eve, the town gathers at the diner. Kathy's speech is interrupted when the sheriff 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. Sheriff Nate demands a $2,000 bail for Jack's release.

Kathy empties the diner's safe and everyone from the diner donates, but it still falls short. The sheriff's son offers to contribute the remaining amount. Nate relents and returns the bail money. Kathy takes Jack outside, but he no longer moves. Assuming he is dead, she kisses him, takes the red scarf and starts to leave. Jack comes back to life, shivering and functioning like a real human. They finally kiss.

Continuing to live together, Kathy and Jack exchange presents. He gives her a home repair book and Kathy gets them plane tickets to Hawaii. They head off there together.

Cast

• Lacey Chabert as Kathy Barrett
• Dustin Milligan as Jack Snowman
• Craig Robinson as Sheriff Nathaniel Hunter
• Joe Lo Truglio as Deputy Sheriff Ed Schatz
• Katy Mixon Greer as Dottie
• Lauren Holly as Jane Miller
• Chrishell Stause as Jan
• Sherry Miller as Mel
• Dan Lett as Theo
• Allan Royal as Mortimer

Production

The film is directed by Jerry Ciccoritti and written by Russell Hainline. Joel S. Rice and Michael Barbuto produced for Muse Entertainment. Filming took place in Canada in April and May 2024, with filming locations including Ottawa, Brockville and Pakenham, Ontario.

Release

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

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 85% of 26 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6/10. The website's consensus reads: "Knowingly goofy with its steamy twist on the magic of Christmas, Hot Frosty is an affable rom-com that ought to thaw the hearts of even the most skeptical of viewers." 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.

External links

• Hot Frosty on Netflix
• Hot Frosty at IMDb