Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

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Directed by David Wain.

Starring Marguerite Moreau, David Hyde Pierce, Janeane Garofalo, Paul Rudd, Michael Showalter.

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1980s teen comedies finally get the parody they so richly deserve with Wet Hot American Summer, the first feature film from writer/director David Wain and co-screenwriter Michael Showalter, formerly of the sketch comedy troupe the State. It's the last day of the summer season at Camp Firewood, and as camp director Beth (Janeane Garofalo) prepares to wrap things up, the staff of teenage counselors realize this is their last chance to do something about the summer romances that have been brewing for the past three months. Sweet but shy Coop (Michael Showalter) is crazy about pretty Katie (Marguerite Moreau), but there's the problem of her severely moody boyfriend Andy (Paul Rudd). Meanwhile, Victor (Ken Marino) is trying to score with sexy Abby (Marisa Ryan), who is known to make friends easily, and McKinley (Michael Ian Black) and Ben (Bradley Cooper) attempt to keep their hot and heavy relationship a secret. Meanwhile, arts and crafts teacher Gail (Molly Shannon) turns to her students for comfort as her marriage falls apart, drama coach Susie (Amy Poehler) tries to whip the talent show into shape with Ben's help, and camp chef Gene (Christopher Meloni) deals with his unique sexual quirks with the help of a talking can of vegetables (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin). Beth even finds time for romance with socially inept astrophysicist Henry (David Hyde Pierce), but first Henry has to save Camp Firewood from a large piece of space junk about to re-enter Earth's atmosphere. Like Wain and Showalter, Ken Marino, Michael Ian Black, and Joe Lo Truglio (who appears in a small role) were also members of the State; fellow State alumnus Kerri Kenney was cast in a supporting role in the film, but her character didn't appear in the final cut. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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Reviews and discussions

SXSW Review: Run, Fatboy, Run
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

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"There may not be any literal baton passing going on in the marathon-set screwball comedy Run, Fatboy, Run, but the movie, which was directed by Friends star David Schwimmer, is noteworthy for its hand-offs. The first has to do with the writing of the film, which began as an original screenplay by American actor/comedian/writer Michael Ian Black (Wet Hot American Summer) and was later reworked by British actor/comedian/writer Simon Pegg (Shaun of the Dead). Despite the screenplay credit confusingly indicating the two writers collaborated, it is more a matter of one taking over from the other and going the distance with it. The second pass relates to the actors. Although Run, Fatboy, Run is sold as a Simon Pegg comedy, the true stand-out is lesser-known Dylan Moran, who supports as Pegg’s character’s best friend. Familiar to most Brits as the star of the Channel 4 series Black Books (which I keep meaning to finally rent), Moran has also appeared in minor roles in the movies Shaun of ... " [More]

David Wain Selling Out to the Sap?
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

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"Last October, we learned that David Wain (beloved director of Wet Hot American Summer) would be taking over the helm of Universal’s Little Big Men, a pre-packaged comedy starring Paul Rudd, Seann William Scott, Elizabeth Banks, Jane Lynch and Christopher Mintz-Plasse (Superbad’s “McLovin”). For all of us who love WHAS, The Ten, The State, Stella, Wainy Days and anything else having to do with Wain, it was great news. The script was re-written by Wain and Rudd and Ken Marino, who also co-wrote The Ten, and was adapted (I’m guessing) from the earlier screenplay by Timothy Dowling (George Lucas in Love). And it features some of Wain’s regulars, including Kerri Kenney, Joe Lo Truglio, and A.D. Miles. According to a recent interview with Wain on IESB.net, the film is currently in post-production with hopes of an August release. But according to MTV Movies Blog today, Wain claims his latest film, which is supposed to be getting a new title, won’t be as absurdist as his fanbase is used to ... " [More]

Wet Hot American Summer the Mus ...
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

hasn't rated it.

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"I’m sure that David Wain was just joking when he told MTV Movie’s Blog that there’s been talk of a musical adaptation of Wet Hot American Summer. But that hasn’t stopped me from thinking about it in depth. At first I was really excited. From the very beginning I’ve loved both the movie and its soundtrack (which I had to hand craft, since an actual WHAS album doesn’t exist) and would definitely be interested in seeing the whole thing acted out on stage. But now I’m realizing its a bad idea, and I’ve included that van crash scene as a metaphor for the concept. Sure, I would love to see the movie acted out on stage, but in the same way I loved watching my buddy play “Data” in an off-Broadway musical version of The Goonies. And in the same way I’d love to see the Con Air and Mystic Pizza musicals starring the fictional Jenna Maroney (winner of a NYC film critics award for Best Actress in a Movie Based on a Musical Based on a Movie). But is it something I can see really being any good? ... " [More]

Michael Showalter on Tila Tequila
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

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"Michael Showalter (writer/director/star of The Baxter; writer/co-star of Wet Hot American Summer) is blogging at PopWatch today to promote his new comedy CD, Sandwiches & Cats, which features guest appearances from Janeane Garofalo and Eugene Mirman. In his first blog entry, Showalter discusses that strange phenomenon that occurs on reality dating shows, wherein every single contestant claims to have fallen in love with the prize bachelor or bachelorette by the second episode. He’s particularly concerned with how this plays out on A Shot at Love With Tila Tequila: The sad thing is that Tila can only fall-in love with one of them. There is only room in her heart for one man or woman. And that lucky guy or gal will be Tila’s new main squeeze, and he or she will know how hard-earned their relationship with Tila was. And years from now, when Tila and whomever she chooses are old and gray and living together somewhere secluded, they will look back at this experience and have an amazing ... " [More]

David Wain: The Media Diet
by SpoutBlog in SpoutBlog on spout.com

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"Welcome to The Media Diet, a new feature on SpoutBlog where we ask indie film movers and shakers a bunch of stupid questions about movies, videos, tabloid scandals, celebrity diet secrets, and other cultural detritus. Up first is David Wain. Wain first skyrocketed to hipster notoriety in the early-90s as a member of The State. He went on to direct the genius Meatballs parody/tribute Wet Hot American Summer, which Wain co-wrote with fellow State alum Michael Showalter. Now Wain has cast a passel of former State-ees in his second directorial effort, The Ten, which opens this Friday. The film, a sketch-driven re-telling of The Ten Commandments, also stars Paul Rudd, Winona Ryder and Liev Schreiber. Click through the jump for Wain’s thoughts on desert island must-haves, comedy based on advertising, and Charlton Heston’s finest hour. David Wain photo courtesy of Yougna Park. (more…) Originally posted on:Spoutblog " [More]

Repeat Viewing
by Indie in Indie Blog

liked it.

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"This is one of the first movies that I have ever seen that's not only fine for repeat viewing, but demands it. There are a lot of in-jokes and back-of-action shennanigans, but that's not what I mean by a movie that demands repeat viewing. On paper I should have loved this movie the first time I saw it. It is silly, chaotic, spoof-rific, and I already liked almost all of the actors involved. When I watched Wet Hot American Summer for the first time though, I just didn't get it. I was stuck outside the bubble wondering how to classify what was going down on-screen. That was mistake no. 1- in order to watch this film, one's mind must be suitably turned to the "off" position. This movie would have been completely lost on me, if my roommate had not missed it the first time. Knowing what was going to go on, I sat back, turned it on and was not really prepared for anything. It was then that I saw the funny. The funny is not hidden in this movie, that's not what I mean. The funn ... " [More]

Review by All Movie Guide

All Movie Guide

lost interest.

Sex, drugs, car wrecks, spacecraft, radio celebrities, David Hyde Pierce, and more: Wet Hot American Summer has it all! Loaded with absurd laughs, this film is a refreshing twist on '80s teen angst and summer camp. Viewers who like to forget they're watching a film, beware: The characters and the film itself are constantly aware of themselves as a spectacle, and a lot of the humor relies on a viewer's ability to laugh at filmmaking. Writers David Wain and Michael Showalter (The State) found creative ways to "adhere" to action film conventions and create laughs in unusual places by their characters' strange reactions to the events in the script. Subtly downplayed, many big names like Jeannine Garofalo, Michael Showalter, Molly Shannon, Paul Rudd, Marguerite Moreau, and the aforementioned David Hyde Pierce appear in a hilarious mess of events intertwined by one thing: the last day of summer camp. Director David Wain's first full-length feature made its debut at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, and due to limited distribution, only screened in selected lucky theaters. ~ Sarah Sloboda, All Movie Guide

Tags: talent-show , 70s , nerds , the-state , science-geeks
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