Netflix’s holiday movie season is in full swing, with perhaps the streamer’s wildest Christmas movie to-date currently topping its charts. Hot Frosty, starring Lacey Chabert and Schitt’s Creek alum Dustin Milligan, tells the story of a still-grieving widow who accidentally brings a snowman to life and discovers that he might just be the perfect guy.
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This new comedy has been a big hit for Netflix since debuting last week, and subscribers who have already checked it could be looking for some more zany stories that check the same boxes. If you’re one of those people, you’ve come to the right place. Here are seven movies you need to check out after watching Hot Frosty.
Mean Girls (2004)
Mean Girls is the movie that really introduced Lacey Chabert to the wider movie-going audience. From the moment she first tried to make Fetch happen, Chabert became a lifelong favorite amongst movie fans. A lot of those fans have continued to follow her career into her Hallmark Christmas era.
It’s also worth noting that Hot Frosty delivers a fantastic Mean Girls joke. It’s in the trailer, so a lot of folks saw it before turning on the movie, but it’s worth waiting to experience it in context.
Jack Frost (1998)
If there is any movie that you could say is anything like Hot Frosty, it’s 1998’s Jack Frost. It doesn’t have any of Hot Frosty‘s inherent silliness, but it does have a fairly similar concept.
Jack Frost stars Michael Keaton as a father who struggles to always live up to the expectations he sets for his kid. One year after suddenly dying in a car accident, he returns in the form of a snowman to try and set things right.
The Santa Summit (2023)
Whatever ideas you have about what Hallmark Christmas movies are, The Santa Summit will really flip those expectations. There’s a love story at the center of this breezy comedy, but it’s more about a group of friends finding common ground on a holiday adventure. And it’s genuinely, laugh-out-loud funny at times.
The big similarity here is that Hot Frosty comes from the same screenwriter that penned The Santa Summit last year. Russell Hainline has started becoming one of the go-to voices for holiday comedies of late, and he’s shown he’s more than willing to let his movies get a little wacky.
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Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up (2023)
This is technically more of a two movie situation, but I’m listing the title of the sequel because it’s a lot better than the first Haul Out the Holly.
These are among the sillier, more fun-loving movies that Hallmark has released as part of its Countdown to Christmas. Both films really know not to take themselves too seriously, and they almost feel like they’re poking a little fun at some of the more ridiculous Christmas-obsessed people in every neighborhood. These films — particularly the sequel — also feature the best of Lacey Chabert’s work with Hallmark. (Both are now streaming on Netflix.)
Last Christmas (2019)
You know how the song goes, right? “Last Christmas, I gave you my heart. But the very next day, you gave it away.” It’s best not to look too much into the plot of Last Christmas if you don’t already know it, but boy is it more faithful to its George Michael source material than you’d ever expect.
This is one of the only recent Christmas movies that feels like it has a shot at developing a real cult following over time. It’s the right mix of ridiculous comedy, actual stakes for its characters, and the kind Christmas magic you only see in the movies.
Single All the Way (2021)
Hot Frosty is new enough that it’ll need time to sit before anyone decides where it ultimately fits on the pantheon of Netflix’s holiday originals. For now, however, one of the spots right at the top belongs to Single All the Way.
Klaus is probably the best of Netflix’s original Christmas films, but Single All the Way easily takes the cake when it comes to holiday comedies. Led by Shrinking scene-stealer Michael Urie, the all-star cast includes the always hilarious Jennifer Coolidge, in a perfectly self-aware role that delivers on every single joke she makes.
The Merry Gentlemen (2024)
Hot Frosty is one of two crazy Christmas comedies hitting Netflix this month. Just one week after its release, Netflix debuted The Merry Gentlemen.
This Chad Michael Murray vehicle is basically a Magic Mike spin on the classic Christmas rom-com, as a group of male dancers strut their stuff to save a beloved small town business. Honestly, what more could you ask for?
