A surprise cameo in Jerry Seinfeld’s new Netflix comedy Unfrosted has prompted a strong response from viewers – with many branding it “cheap” and “depressing”.
The film fictionalises the events around the invention of the US breakfast product Pop Tarts, and is set in Kellogg’s during the 1960s.
At one point in the film, Jon Hamm is seen parodying his role in the acclaimed TV drama Mad Men, suave advertising executive Don Draper.
John Slattery, who plays Don’s friend and boss Roger Sterling in Mad Men, is also seen reprising the character in Unfrosted.
The shock cameos were kept under wraps by Netflix in the run-up to the film’s release, though the official Netflix account subsequently tweeted out the clip.
Reactions to the cameo have been mixed. Film critic David Ehrlich wrote that the scene prompted a “furious yell” at the TV, adding in his review that the surprise was “not funny enough to escape a feeling of sacrilege”.
“Such a f***ing cheapening of Mad Men for a crap Seinfeld money-spinner,” one person wrote on X/Twitter. “Depressing.”
“Good f***ing god, this is so bleak,” another viewer commented. “I’m actually depressed after watching this.”
Someone else wrote: “Ugh, so now we’re even putting in desperate nostalgia bait from IP’s [intellectual properties] that have NOTHING to do with the film itself or universe it’s in…this is sickening.”
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Criticisms were also levelled at the production design on the film, with one person writing: “The hair/wardrobe/art direction in Mad Men was stellar. In this it’s jarringly bad.”
Unfrosted has been negatively reviewed by critics, earning a score of just 42 per cent on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.
Alongside Seinfeld himself, the film also features a large roster of stars, including Melissa McCarthy, Bill Burr, Amy Schumer, Hugh Grant, James Marsden, Christian Slater, Peter Dinklage, and Fred Armisen.
However, some viewers tweeted that they had in fact enjoyed the cameo, arguing that it was the best part of the film.
“UNFROSTED has a totally unexpected cameo, but the people who would be most amused by it will also be the most pissed off. But let’s be clear: this is not a character so sacred that it can’t be used for comedy. There are two SNL sketches featuring the character, so whatever,” one person argued.
Among those to approve of the scene was Tesla billionaire Elon Musk, who responded to Netflix’s tweet with a “crying laughing” emoji.
Unfrosted is available to stream now on Netflix.