Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #28339 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-01-15
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 97 minutes

Amazon.com
Tasty and nutrition-free as a snow cone on a hot summer day, Wet Hot American Summer is a silly, hilarious throwback to those mildly smutty early-'80s teen comedies. It takes place on the last day of Camp Firewood's 1981 season, and it's everyone's last chance for romance, self-realization, and of course the Big Talent show. The movie is filled with brilliant comic performances; it looks like the cast just took over a summer camp and had a great time. Writers Michael Showalter and David Wain have captured the essence of parody: absolutely nailing the conventions of their subject, kidding the hell out of it, and all the while showing a real fondness for the genre. People unfamiliar with Meatballs and its many imitators may well be left cold by Wet Hot American Summer, but anyone born between 1965 and 1980 will love it. --Ali Davis

From The New Yorker
Michael Showalter and David Wain of the sketch-comedy group the State wrote and directed this hilarious coming-of-age marathon set at Camp Firewood, Maine, in August, 1981-a time when pulled-up white socks could be worn safely. What's impressive here is the pace; by cramming an entire summer of pranks, hookups, defeats, and comebacks into a single day, Wain and Showalter keep the jokes zipping along. Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Paul Rudd, Molly Shannon, and the other actors ham it up for laughs with a raunchiness tempered by deadpan earnestness. Best are the throwaway moments, such as when a Kenyan runner appears out of nowhere and sprints past everyone in capture the flag. -Michael Agger
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

One of THE most underrated movies of 2001!
I had heard good things about this movie when it was at Sundance, but it seemed bypass the Chicago are almost entirely. So I rented the DVD, and this movie was hilarious. It's a shame that movies like American Pie 2 and Dung Pow (or whatever that awful-looking Martial Arts movie is called) are considered 'daring' and 'edgy' because of a few gross-out gags and little else. This movie was edgier and more daring than any comedy I've seen since the classic "Where's Poppa". It is most simply a parody of early 80's summer camp flicks, but it also has a bizarre, absurdist genius to it all it's own. Not every gag works, but it has enough unforgettable lines and sequences to ensure it's eventual evolution into true cult classic. The cast is all great, but the best is Chris Melloni (of Oz and Law & Order SVU) who is freakishly hilarious in his role as the camp cook. You don't just have to be a fan of MTV's the State to enjoy this as I have never seen the show. This film won't be for everyone, but I have a feeling that a lot of reviewers who hate the film are missing the fact that this isn't just a by-the-numbers parody like Scary Movie and even lesser pieces of garbage. It is more of a masterpiece of genuine insanity that I really believe will gain favour as the years pass. Along with Jack Nicholson's The Pledge (as different a film from this as you can get) this is truly one of the films that got away in 2001. Don't miss your chance now (and be sure to check out the deleted scenes; Melloni has some great bits that shouldn't have been cut).

Now, this was one funny movie.
If you liked The State, the sketch comedy show from MTV, then you'll most likely laugh at the same people here. Most of the cast is in this film, and Michael Showalter and David Wain (also the director) co-wrote it.

It's the last day of camp in the summer of 1981. Janeane Garofalo plays the camp director who falls in love with the local physicist, David Hyde Pierce. But the real star is Showalter, who plays "Coop," trying to get the girl of his dreams to fall for him, in spite of her "love" for vapid Paul Rudd (who reminded me a lot of Trey Parker here, for some reason).

This movie is basically a take-off of the `80's camp films like Meatballs. You know, the ones they used to show on USA Up All Night. And every possible gag is included here, including a few I didn't see coming (like the trip to "town").

One thing, though, keep in mind while you watch it that all of this is happening during the span of one day.

Best Movie Ever
I saw this movie a few weeks ago not knowing beforehand that several members of the State are in it and that Wain and Showalter produced and wrote it. The first time I saw it I thought it was great. Upon second and subsequent viewings I realized that it is the smartest and funniest comedy ever made. Yes, this is just my opinion, but that doesn't make it any less true. Showalter, Black, Marino and Lo Truglio are simply amazing. The rest of the cast is great too, especially Christopher Meloni (sp?) as Gene. Garafolo and Pierce are easily the least funny people in the movie, but even they pull off a few good moments. By the way, if you are stupid (i.e. Roger Ebert) you will probably not like this movie. It will leave you confused and angry. If you are a real person, however, you will want to watch it constantly. Hopefully Showalter and Wain will make another movie soon. Again, funniest movie ever made...