Come November and the feel-good Christmas films release in a flood. Hot Frosty is just another silly feel-good film centered around Christmas. It lacks the spark to make it to the memorable-holiday-films list. Lacey Chabert as Kathy and Dustin Milligan as Jack lack chemistry, and the humor only works when Craig Robinson’s Sheriff Hunter enters the screen. Though I must mention, seeing Chabert remark that the girl on television reminded her of someone she knew in high school upon seeing her Mean Girls co-star, Lindsey Lohan, in her 2023 holiday film, Falling for Christmas, was hilarious.
Kathy, a widow, always looked after the people around her but never took care of herself. Her life was quite a mess, but things immediately changed when her neighbor, Mel, gifted her a magical scarf. Mel strongly believed that the scarf would help Kathy find her lover, just like she had crossed paths with her husband Theo the night she was wearing the red scarf. Kathy did not take Mel’s story seriously, and while walking home, when she saw a snowman without a scarf, she decided to pass on her gift. She took a picture of him, and even though she saw a glimmer in his eyes, she did not think much of it. That night, the snowman came to life, all thanks to the magical red scarf!
Spoiler Alert
How did the snowman change Kathy’s life?
Since Kathy was the first person the snowman saw when he was coming to life, he started searching for her. The only problem was that the snow sculptor had built him naked, so naturally he had nothing but the red scarf on when he transformed into somewhat of a human being. ‘Somewhat’ because his body temperature was extremely low and he sweated profusely whenever he entered any warm environment. Old Mortimer and Ethel Jennings spotted him running around naked in the snow. The snowman realized that as an almost human he needed to cover himself; he ended up breaking into Mel and Theo’s store at night, and he dressed himself in a pair of overalls.
The snowman recognized Kathy as soon as he met her the next morning. He tried to explain that he was the snowman Kathy had gifted the red scarf to, but it was all too fantastical for Kathy to believe. She assumed he was making fun of her, but she soon figured out that the snowman she decided to call “Jack” (as a result of the name tag on his overalls) was telling the truth. She took him to the doctor to confirm if he was mentally unstable or if he truly was a snowman. The doctor was certain that Jack was another Christmas miracle, and there were no logical answers to explain his coming to life. Jack believed it was Kathy’s scarf that was magical, or maybe it was Kathy’s empathy. Kathy agreed to let Jack stay at her house, and he took a liking to watching television. He was a quick learner, and he was soon baking pizzas and whipping up eggnogs for Kathy. After her husband died of cancer, this was the first time someone was going above and beyond to make Kathy happy, and while it seemed all too strange at first, she soon started to appreciate Jack. He did all the repair work around the house and made it Christmas-ready.
Kathy was annoyed at first when Jack refused to keep a low profile and he started helping the entire neighborhood. But after talking to him, she realized that all he wanted was to make the most of his existence because he feared that one day he might just end up becoming a puddle. Kathy decided it was only fair that Jack lived his life the way he wished to. Jack soon accepted the maintenance job at the local school, and he gained the love and trust of the whole of Hope Springs.
Why was Jack arrested?
Sheriff Hunter was obsessed with finding the perpetrator responsible for breaking into Mel and Theo’s store. This was the first time in a long while that someone had committed a crime in Hope Springs, and Hunter was determined to arrest the criminal. He had his eyes on Jack after figuring out he was the only new face in the neighborhood. Jack was sweating profusely when Hunter interrogated him at Kathy’s cafe, and he assumed that it was because he was the perp. Even though Jack tried to play it cool, he was a snowman, and naturally, he melted a little every time he was exposed to artificial heating. Hunter found the missing piece of the puzzle when he noticed that the ATM opposite Mel and Theo’s store had a camera. The video confirmed his suspicions, and Hunter arrested Jack. Kathy protested, but Jack believed he deserved to be penalized for committing a crime, and he had every intention of obeying the law. Kathy knew Jack did not stand a chance of surviving the heat in an enclosed prison, and she decided to do whatever it took to release him. Kathy was surprised when her neighbors came to her support. All of them had figured out that Jack was no ordinary human being but a snowman, and they did not think it was strange, because Christmas was meant to be magical.
How did Kathy bring Jack to life?
Kathy arrived at the police station and begged Hunter to release Jack. She tried to explain that Jack was a snowman, but the sheriff thought it was a ridiculous claim. He was confident that Jack was a sleeper agent after discovering that Jack did not have any fingerprints, and he intended to hand him over to the FBI. After Kathy requested over and over again, Hunter asked Kathy to bring him the bail fee of two grand. Kathy rushed to her cafe and gathered all the money in her safe. She requested Deputy Sheriff Schatz to help her, but Hunter refused to budge until Kathy handed over the entire bail fee. Seeing her helpless situation, all the people of the town gathered to support her. They contributed whatever little they could to pay the fee. The crowd vouched for Jack. They told Hunter how he had helped each one of them in a short period. Schatz and Kathy reminded Hunter that this was his opportunity to be remembered for his one good gesture. Hunter was finally convinced, and he agreed to bail Jack out. But by the time Jack was released from jail, he was unconscious. Even though Jack had expressed that he had fallen in love with her, Kathy was hesitant, because she did not believe she could ever live a happy life without her husband. Kathy felt attracted to Jake when he refused to kiss her because he was afraid of disappearing all of a sudden and leaving Kathy with a broken heart. She appreciated him thinking about her emotions instead of getting selfish and trying to win her over.
During Hot Frosty’s ending, when Jack was brought out of the prison and his body was placed on a heap of snow by the side of the road, Kathy tried to kiss and wake him up, but Jake did not respond. Kathy accepted defeat, assuming that Jake was gone. But as soon as she started to walk away from him, she heard him call out to her. Surprise surprise, Jack had survived!
Do Kathy and Jack end up together?
In Hot Frosty’s ending, Kathy’s kiss not only helped Jack regain consciousness but also transformed him into a complete human being. Perhaps it was their love that was magical. It was only after Kathy fell in love with Jack that the universe granted her wish and helped him become completely human. His body temperature was no longer low, and for the first time, he experienced a shiver. Kathy was overjoyed, and she kissed Jack while the entire town cheered for them. Nothing is impossible on Christmas—a woman could fall in love with a snowman! Jack continued to live with Kathy. He gifted her a home repair manual, and she bought him tickets to Hawaii. He had always wanted to travel there, and now that there were no chances of him melting away, Kathy thought it was the perfect opportunity. Kathy had finally found someone after her husband’s demise who cared for her wellbeing—a snowman who made existing a little easier for her. She learned to love again, and it was all because Jack had been patient with her and he had loved Kathy selflessly without expecting her to reciprocate his emotions.
