The Asian filmscape is generally much more sentimental than its Western counterpart. This is not to say that the West doesn’t make emotional films; they very well do, but the values of family, togetherness, and community vs. the individualistic mindset of the West often translates in Asian film and TV. As an Asian person myself, this sticks out to me, and it can occasionally feel overwhelming on the emotions. Recent examples include When Life Gives You Tangerines or Girls Will Be Girls, and of course, the Thai film How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies. While they’re emotional in varying degrees, the end result is a profound sensation. No, I don’t think Frozen Hot Boys is anywhere near this category of very beautiful films, but it’s still got that looming sentimentality that makes it worth a watch.
Frozen Hot Boys tells the story of Chom, a teacher at a juvenile detention center whose only goal is to be reunited with her father, who lives in Japan now. Chom isn’t really interested in her job, but when her dad tells her to come visit in Sapporo, Japan, she decides to take up the challenging task of taking a few of these boys for a snow carving competition. What follows is boys being boys—well, juvenile boys—and Chom trying her best to go see her dad. Will they make it to the competition? Will they win? Will Chom find her happiness? And will the boys finally find their place in society? This is the basic premise of the film.
I think, to start off with, this film is well intentioned. It hopes to shed light on the importance of a second chance, of a chance at redemption, which not everyone gets. But, having said that, it’s a little bit chaotic in its storytelling and often tries to deal with too many things all at once. I like that we learn about Chom’s motivations and see the boys in a new light thanks to her desire to go see her dad, but I just wish the execution was slightly better and that the whole thing was a lot shorter. The film is a comedy, but I think a lot of it is lost in translation, both in terms of language and cultural references. Having said that, I quite enjoyed the drama bits of the movie, and it definitely made for a compelling story where you root for the main characters.
I think the movie tried to pull off a bit more than it could deliver, specifically with the whole juvenile thing. If that were the main plot, then the film could’ve spent more time establishing the backstories of the boys rather than spending so much time on montages from the competitions and competition prep. It definitely gets tedious after a point, especially in the last act, in which we know that the boys are going to work hard to carve out this thing. I think this makes the whole story quite lacking as a whole because it cuts away from the important stuff to focus on the fun stuff that goes on for too long. If the montages were shorter, I don’t think I’d be complaining about them because that would make the whole film way more cohesive.
The film does take a detour in the middle from the comedy to tackle a more serious plot, which confuses the audience about what it’s trying to be. It sometimes feels a little bit too dramatic for a comedy and sometimes a little bit too comical for the serious subjects it’s dealing with, but I’ve noticed this in my very limited viewing of Thai filmography. I don’t think this is always a problem, but in this particular film, it becomes a little bit hard to categorize. And I don’t think categorization is super important, but to give you an honest review, I need something to base things off of, and this film makes that quite hard.
Still, I don’t want to put you off from watching it entirely, because it’s definitely a film you can put on and chill to on a difficult day. There’s one random, convoluted moment in the film that feels like it was edited in the wrong spot, but outside of that, it is a sweet movie. The themes are easily understandable, and the main plot is quite inspiring. I did mention earlier that the boys’ characters are not very well established, but I think Chom’s motivations and character development are really good.
In terms of performance, everybody is good, but of course, the main roles are for Chom and Jab. Taew Natapohn Tameeruks resembles Korean actress Park Min-Young so much that half the time I was watching the movie, that was all I could think about. But she’s great because she handles both the comedy and the melancholy beautifully. Bank Nuttawatt Thanathaveeprasert is endearing as Jab, and you can’t help but root for him, despite knowing that he might’ve done something bad in life. There’s an inherent goodness in the boy, which is clearly visible through his emotive eyes. The other boys are also great, and I love the dynamic they have between each other.
So, if you like Thai entertainers and don’t mind the few draggy bits (I mean, you always have the option to forward or speed things up), then give this one a try. I always recommend watching in the original language for a full experience, but the dub in this one is pretty good, too. At the end of the day, if you’re looking for a no-brainer with a moral message, then Frozen Hot Boys fits the bill perfectly. But if you want something entertaining and with a deep plot, then you might find this one a little too superficial. I’d give Frozen Hot Boys 3 out of 5 stars.
