There are minor SPOILERS down below for Hot Frosty. If you still need to catch the new Christmas film, you can check it out with a Netflix subscription.
If you've been keeping up with the 2024 Netflix schedule, you would have seen Hot Frosty drop on your feeds recently. The film, which follows how a snowman-turned-human warms the heart of a widow, stars Dustin Milligan. His character, Jack, loves television – and when asked if Jack somehow ended up watching Schitt's Creek, and what he might learn from it, Milligan had a hilarious, yet heartfelt answer.
For some more clarification, Hot Frosty follows Kathy (Lacey Chabert), whose life is turned upside down even more when a snowman she wrapped a scarf around comes to life and becomes human – suitably named Jack. In order to learn how the human world works, Jack spends his days watching television in Kathy's living room – and it's as hilarious as you would expect.
Dustin Milligan has appeared in a couple of other shows before, such as X Company and Rutherford Falls, but most know him as Ted Mullens from the Schitt's Creek cast, a hit comedy series that aired from 2015 to 2020. So, of course, when I had the chance to speak to the Hot Frosty actor about what Jack might learn if he stumbled upon Schitt's Creek, he had a hilarious first response:
I think I would learn that puns are hilarious and are the highest form of comedy. I think that would be first and foremost.
Schitt's Creek is known for its puns, so I totally agree. But Milligan also said that while the puns are great, Schitt's Creek teaches a lot of "lessons" that overlap in the film. Most importantly, there's the idea to shed your former self to learn who you really are on the inside. In his words:
But Schitt's Creek, there's a little bit of an overlap in terms of some of the lessons that we have and the themes that we explore here in this movie as well, where it's like you have sometimes to let go of your idea of yourself and shed that identity in order to discover who you really can be.
Milligan jokingly added that the "pun thing" is more likely to be the priority, though:
But I think more importantly, the pun thing is probably number one on the list.
His heartfelt response is one that I can totally see. Schitt's Creek has so many funny characters, but at its core, the show is about people learning to become better versions of themselves over time with the help of others.
In a way, that's what Hot Frosty has done as well, despite its name that makes it sound like it would be about a hot snowman. Both Jack and Kathy go through their own metamorphoses during the movie and come out of it as better people. So, I can see Schitt's Creek and Hot Frosty making that strong connection. But I’m not sure if Jack could survive in that world with how crazy the Rose family can be. It’s probably better to stay in the bubble of his holiday movie.
Hot Frosty has dominated Netflix since its release, and the film itself is what critics would call "cheeky, wanton lust," but don't be totally fooled – this snowman has a heart just as much as Kathy does if not more. If you haven't had the chance to check out Hot Frosty, be sure to stream it for some much-needed holiday cheer.
