No one knows the value of nothing quite as much as Jerry Seinfeld and Larry David, which was the entire premise behind Seinfeld, their long-running sitcom that is generally considered to be the greatest show in television history within some circles and is certainly seen as a watershed moment for the medium. David went on to create Curb Your Enthusiasm (another one of the greatest works of television comedy in history, being about equal in terms of influence, just in a different style of humour), whereas Seinfeld had a run of projects that weren’t quite as successful, even if they had their merits – for every Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee, there were Bee Movie (which has been appropriated as an example of unintentionally camp media) and The Marriage Ref, neither of which showcased the brilliance that we saw on his namesake series, or in his well-received stand-up comedy that has essentially been his artistic bread-and-butter for the past couple of decades since the show ended. However, just as we least expected it, Seinfeld has returned with his most promising project to date, the hilarious and outrageous Unfrosted, in which he takes aim at a true American institution: the cereal industry, with a particular focus on the Pop-Tart, considered one of the country’s most iconic breakfast foods, and one that seemingly revolutionized the industry. In this film, Seinfeld (re-teaming with a few of his notable writers from the show, such as Spike Feresten and Andy Robin) presents a highly fictionalised, absurdist history of the invention of the Pop-Tart, following its journey from conception to execution in the early 1960s, where (according to those behind this film), it changed the way ordinary American started their mornings. An offbeat and strange comedy that features many of the traits we have come to appreciate from Seinfeld, Unfrosted is a lot of fun, and a film that intentionally does not take itself seriously, and instead proves to be a wildly entertaining romp that never quite allows us to even begin to make sense of its ludicrous premise, all of which is part of its appeal.

In the past couple of years, we have seen a trend towards this sub-genre that we can label the “capitalist biopic”, in which the focus is less on a particular figure (although it usually gravitates towards their ingenuity), and more on a specific product or brand, the invention of which is the foundation for most of the dramatic tension and ultimate emotional catharsis. Unfrosted follows this same general tendency, but it does so in a very intentional way, almost to the point of being parodic, which is entirely the purpose of what could potentially be the most ridiculous of these films. The reason these films are mildly popular (since they’re rarely beloved or seen as major achievements, but rather pleasant distractions), comes from their inspirational nature – they usually centre on protagonists who are consistently at odds with the world around them, outsiders who take on the system and emerge victorious. These fish-out-of-water tales that turn into celebrations of capitalism by showing how they earn the ultimate reward, which is defined as endless wealth and recognition, is what is being parodied throughout Unfrosted, a film that isn’t as critical of the free market so much as it is satirizing the idea of these rags-to-riches stories, precisely by centring on characters that are already wealthy but are seeking to supplement their fortune with even more earnings, all through the creation of an item of food that is undeniably popular, but certainly not the revolutionary invention that it is trying to make it out to be, from which the majority of the humour is extracted. It’s clear from the start that this film is absolutely in on the joke, and it never once comes across as if it genuinely believes in its ludicrous premise, which gives it a very important sense of self-awareness, and essentially dismantles the entire premise of the one-dimensional capitalism drama, in which a single idea flourishes into a world-shattering invention. The same general structure is employed, it is just covered with layers of the most sardonic, absurd humour imaginable, which makes for a perfectly appropriate directorial debut for one of the great comedic minds of his generation, albeit one that is still very much nostalgic for the era depicted in this film, which is another unique element that Seinfeld brings to this production.

One of the many benefits of being one of the most successful comedians in the history of the industry is that one tends to make many connections, and calling in favours or recruiting a wide range of gifted individuals to collaborate is not a challenge in any way. Seinfeld enlists an impressive roster of actors to appear in Unfrosted, which features him in the central role as Bob Cabana, the fictionalized inventor of the Pop-Tart, with Melissa McCarthy and Jim Gaffigan having major roles as his friends and colleagues who undergo this journey with him. The central trio are all terrific – Seinfeld gives one of the rare performances where he is not playing himself (the only other notable instance of this being in his previous passion project, the aforementioned Bee Movie), and while he’s never been the definition of a strong actor, he’s still remarkably good and manages to riff off his iconic persona with relatively strong results. McCarthy is as hilarious as ever, and Gaffigan proves to be an effective straight-man with moments of comedic ingenuity aplenty. The rest of the cast consists of a range of hilarious cameos and small bit parts, with the likes of James Marsden, Peter Dinklage, Hugh Grant, Max Greenfield and a range of other notable actors playing parts in this sprawling ensemble. Arguably, Unfrosted is the rare kind of comedy in which no one is doing career-defining work, and the extent of their performance is simply to appear on screen as either thinly-veiled versions of themselves or some kind of off-the-wall eccentric, which means that this is not a performance-based film, but rather one that assembles a large cast and asks them to simply lend the director their time and talent for a cavalcade of brief but memorable roles. Everyone is wonderful, and they all turn in solid, endearing performances that are quite hilarious across the board and bring these bizarre characters to life in a way that is genuinely very entertaining.

This sentiment comes from a place of sincere admiration for his comedic legacy and isn’t to be read as criticism, but Seinfeld simply could not be serious if he tried – his entire persona is based around this slightly nervous, off-kilter character he has been playing throughout his career, and one that is both timeless (since such people always exist, regardless of where and when you look), and perpetually hilarious. He brings this same sense of bizarre humour to this film, which is amongst his most surreal, off-the-wall projects, and it is certainly difficult to envision anyone else being able to do this premise justice. Seinfeld has a stranglehold on the realm of observational comedy that centres on the meaningless minutiae of everyday life – it’s the aspect of his career that has been most resonant since he touches on ideas and themes that are very relatable across many demographics. Despite being set in the early 1960s (which is a terrific choice, since not only is historically accurate to a degree, but it allows for an abundance of period-specific jokes that prevent the novelty of the premise from entirely running out), there are ideas in Unfrosted that still feel quite fresh and engaging, all the while being a perfect encapsulation of Seinfeld’s penchant for old-fashioned showmanship, with the construction of the jokes being precise, simple and unquestionably straightforward, and therefore reliably funny and entertaining. The absurd humour does begin to envelope the film after a certain point, and it can wear thin after a while, but mercifully the director is aware of how to handle such scenarios since he finds space to add in some genuine heart and soul, which is neither expected nor all that prominent (since the focus was on the absurdity of the premise more than anything else), but also knows how to pause the madness when it is necessary. Unfrosted is a comedy made by a group of professionals, and the work they do in bringing this bizarre story to the screen is solid enough to hold our attention, and the comedic value of it, while perhaps quite obvious, is not any less invigorating or thoroughly entertaining.

There is very little merit in even vaguely suggesting that Unfrosted is the best work Seinfeld ever did – it’s undeniably a passion project, and the results are successful enough to warrant the years he spent crafting this film, but when your greatest achievement is arguably the most important television comedy of the 1990s, enough that it defined the concept of the “watercooler show”, everything else you do subsequently is just going to be seen as basking in the afterglow. Yet, for those who have missed his wonderfully eccentric attention to detail, as well as his preoccupation with exploring the most trivial of subjects, Unfrosted is solid enough to satiate our appetite, offering us a solid and genuinely very funny film that is nothing particularly serious or complex, but still has enough merit to hold our attention, and the rapid-fire delivery of jokes never feels exhausting or unnecessary, and instead exists solely as a means to explore the underlying these that this film so gleefully wants to showcase, leaving behind all sense of logic and offering its unique sense of eccentric humour that may not be to everyone’s taste, but is certainly entertaining enough to be worth our time. Featuring a fantastic cast, a sharp script and an unexpectedly strong sense of direction from Seinfeld (who proves himself to be just as gifted a filmmaker as he is a comedian), Unfrosted is a truly good time, a fun and effervescent surrealist comedy that has enough heart to complement the sometimes strange humour, creating a bold and zany romp through the past handcrafted by someone who once again proves his undying commitment to life’s most inconsequential and meaningless details.