This past week, a few dozen students at Duke University walked out on comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s commencement speech in protest of his support for Israel. Accustomed to tough crowds, Seinfeld was unfazed and continued to deliver a funny (apolitical) speech and accept an honorary degree.
Somehow, this was the second time in the past few weeks that Seinfeld upset leftists enough to end up in the news. The first time happened with his promotion of his new movie “Unfrosted.”
Seen from afar, Jerry Seinfeld’s new movie seemed to have all the elements of a funny and entertaining movie. The cast is star-studded, the production is slick and appealing, and the story is light and fanciful. Moreover, the nostalgic setting and wholesome humor made it family-friendly and easy to watch.
And indeed, “Unfrosted” really is a funny, enjoyable escape. Even at 70 years old, Seinfeld still has a gift for the absurd, taking a random topic (in this case, Pop-Tarts) and building up a witty and whimsical world around it. Moreover, it doesn’t preach or push an agenda.
Yet film critics are panning the film. They complain that the jokes are “groaners” and hopelessly out of touch. They fuss about the lack of historical accuracy. And some even go as far as to critique its pro-capitalist message.
It’s important to remember that these are the same critics who lavished praise on unfunny disasters like the Ghostbusters reboot in 2016 and declared that “Abbott Elementary,” an insipid derivative of “The Office,” was
