Russell Hainline’s review published on Letterboxd:
hi! I wrote this movie!
there's nothing crazier to me than the fact that, three years ago, I dreamed up the title HOT FROSTY and giggled like a man... and tonight, I watched Lacey Chabert and Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show talking about "Hot Frosty" as an audience cheered. life is funny, man.
in 2021, I started pitching to my friends, in my best Norm Macdonald-esque delivery, “what if, when Frosty the Snowman came to life… he was a super-hot dude?” then I'd hit them with "it's called HOT FROSTY." and it always got a laugh… but over time, it also burrowed under my skin. for whatever reason, I couldn’t let this idea go. I had to write this movie.
and by god, it actually had to be called HOT FROSTY. it still makes me smile every time I say it.
look, we were just coming out of the pandemic— and I was personally coming out of a time when my anxiety was at an all-time high. I wasn’t loving myself. and I certainly wasn’t loving the world. it’s so, so easy to just shut down your life, to distract yourself from reality, to say “I’ll take care of myself tomorrow.”
I wish I could see the world like Jack. through fresh eyes, through endless optimism. he sees the good in people. why wouldn’t he? hatred is nurture, not nature. he’s the sort of (snow)person I really could’ve used at that time… but he’s also the sort of (snow)person that undoubtedly would’ve annoyed the shit out of me. after all, when you don’t love yourself, and someone unapologetically loves you? how dare they! can’t they see what a mess I am?!
yes, the movie’s got laughs, yes, it’s very silly, and yes, it’s got a very Hot Frosty... but I really, really tried to make the heart of the movie something that felt real to me. learning to love yourself, learning to find ways to move on. learning to make the most of the limited time you have on this planet. (and, as Vulture correctly pointed out, learning how to try to persevere in the face of police abuse of power!)
and it’s such a dream cast. Lacey is terrific in the movie and lovely in real life. Dustin has the hardest role in the movie, and he worked *so* hard and *so* thoughtfully, and he absolutely knocks it out of the park. Craig plays Hunter with the gravitas of a Shakespearean villain and the voice of an angel. Joe is, of course, a sweetheart and makes every movie better by his sheer presence. everybody shines in their moments. perhaps my favorite scene involves two child actors who exude sincerity. there’s even a background performer whose level of intense commitment is absolutely marvelous. I’ll let you figure out who this person is on your own. I love them.
so it’s finally here. Hot Frosty. title in tact and everything. I got to see it on the big screen at Netflix, which was a first for me. the person sitting to my left cried, and I’m not ashamed to say that made me feel awesome. I’m blown away that this very silly idea I had three years ago is now a very silly, very sweet, very heartfelt movie you get to watch this holiday season. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. let it play on repeat on your TV, make it #1 on Netflix’s Top 10. I don’t know how the algorithms work, but I think that’d be cool.
thanks again to everyone who cares and who s my career. I will continue to work my very hardest to make you all proud. 🔥⛄️
