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It's the last day of Camp Firewood 1981 in Maine. Camp director Beth (Janeane Garofalo) is interested in physics professor Henry Newman (David Hyde Pierce) who lives nearby. Gene (Christopher Meloni) is the volatile Vietnam vet cook. Susie (Amy Poehler) and Ben (Bradley Cooper) intends to put on a show. Andy (Paul Rudd) is the bad boy making out with Katie (Marguerite Moreau). Gail von Kleinenstein (Molly Shannon) is the art teacher struggling with her divorce. Victor (Ken Marino) is a bumbling womanizer wannabe. McKinley (Michael Ian Black) is in a secret relationship with Ben. None of the camp counselors are terribly concerned about the kids' safety as craziness runs rampant.

This is a scattered parody filled with random crazy characters and ridiculous situations. I first saw this a couple of years ago. The cast is a who's who of today's hottest stars. They seem to be having crazy fun doing silly skits. It's definitely a hit and miss proposition. It misses more than it hits but it misses with a charming stupidity.

Put simply, upon release in 2001, Wet Hot American Summer was a disaster.

Ignored by most critics, failing dismally at the box office and genuinely disappearing from many peoples radars, David Wain's 80's spoof comedy seemed like just another low-brow comedy destined for an unmemorable life, until low and behold, the cult circuit took over and Summer has become somewhat of a classic.

Spawning a prequel and sequel series on streaming kingpin Netflix, Summer's reputation has grown over recent years thanks to the airplay its received from people's lounge-rooms and for the fact Wain's film is a hotbed of early career activity for some Hollywood's biggest players.

Early career turns from the likes of Paul Rudd, Bradley Cooper, Elizabeth Banks, Amy Poehler, Joe Lo Truglio and Ken Marino as well as extended parts from established stars Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Christopher Meloni and Molly Shannon, Summer has one of the early 2000's greatest ensemble casts that helps make watching Summer in today's climate a genuine blast no matter what flaws the films has.

As a film, there's a lot wrong with Summer, it has a bare bones story cut straight out of the Richard Linklater rule-book (think Dazed and Confused and Everybody Wants Some!! with less nuance) and a fair chunk of jokes fall relatively flat but thanks to its carefree charm and the natural charisma of its cast, much of Summer is an easy to digest joy.

The dark sense of humor of Wain such as drowning children, crazed Vietnam war veterans with odd fetishes and a continual gag about a particularly long day timed with a frequent clock also help make Summer a black comedic delight, a comedy not afraid to go to some dark places even if its relatively non-existent story doesn't bother to delve deep into much else around its low-brow antics and end of summer camp activities such as a talent show or an odd game of capture the flag.

The haphazard nature of the film and oddball happenings are the likely reason Summer has managed to overcome its early failures to achieve a long-lasting success and while it's by no means a cinematic masterpiece, it's hard to see how one wouldn't enjoy their time in Camp Firewood with a crazy collection of flawed yet lovable counselors.

Final Say -

A time-capsule of early career moments for a raft of well-liked stars and an entertaining throwback to the heyday of raunchy 80's comedies, Wet Hot American Summer is far from a masterpiece but a thoroughly fun and frivolous one of a kind romp regardless.

3 cans of mixed vegetables out of 5

This movie made me so happy. The performers are so gifted. The details in the art direction and characterizations were pretty spot-on too. Amy Poehler in particular delighted me. That girl rocks my world. Everyone has their moment though. In this time when parodies are almost more common than original ideas, this movie stands out as one of the best.

This movie defintely has its high and low points, the plot concerns the last day of camp in 1981 at a small Jewish summer camp in Maine. It's meant as a parody of all those late 70s, early 80s teen sex romps like Porky's and Meatballs, and while some of the parodies are dead on, others fall rather flat. Perhaps the funniest moment concerns some of the counselors "hour-long" trip into town which starts out innocently but then degrades into a drugged-out parody where the kids start out smoking cigarettes and quickly go to robbing old ladies to feed their newfound cocaine and heroin addictions. Other high points include the Vietnam veteran cook, the loony arts & crafts instructor, and even the children deciding not to play baseball against the anonymously evil-rival camp because they just don't feel like it. A lot of the movie seems more like a bunch of strung together sketches, which adds to its weakness. However, it is fun to see the return of the bad haircuts, too-short shorts, and high socks that made up that era, along with some great early 80s rock hits.

It's such a thin line between clever and stupid. Wet Hot American Summer's director David Wain seem to have found the right balance with the help of his brilliant cast.

You cannot intentionally make a cult film. You make a film, and due to a number of largely undefined reasons, it may or may not evolve into a cult film; - either instantly or after several/many years. That's a theory I always firmly believed in. Why am I mentioning this here? Well, because - to me at least - it often uncomfortably felt as if "Wet Hot American Summer" was made with the deliberate and quite fanatic intention to be a cult film straight from its release. As a result, the film comes across as pretentious, with a too obvious "this-comedy-is-better-than-rest" attitude, and arrogant, with a sort of "if-you-do-not-find-this-funny-you-are-wrong" undertone. But, again, this is just my perception. And I've been wrong before.

That being said, I didn't at all hate "Wet Hot American Summer". And it did become some kind of cult film, even if it were only for the fact that it splits the audiences into two extremely opposite camps. 50% of the people who watch this film absolutely love it, and claim it's the most brilliant and funniest comedy ever made, whereas the other 50% completely hate it and wonder out loud whether the writers weren't mentally disabled. Me, as so often the story of my life, find myself stuck right in the middle.

The storylines in "WHAS" are occasionally very original and clever, and occasionally very weak and derivative. The jokes and type of humor are sometimes hilarious, but sometimes also tremendous misfires. All the characters are stereotypes and the themes are clichéd, but on the other hand, the situations are practically always unconventional, dared and unseen. The biggest trump of this film is undoubtedly its spontaneity and randomness. Literally everything can happen in "WHAS", regardless of how random, illogical or far-fetched it may seem. For that alone, this oddity deserves at least seven stars and my strong recommendation to check it out.

OK, I am pretty forgiving and can enjoy a lot of stupid movies. But I REALLY don't get what it is people like about this movie! I like a lot of the actors, but the jokes were NOT funny. I mean maybe 5% of the jokes worked. It was like a long bad SNL skit or something. I just really rally don't get it. I would rather watch Weekend at Bernie's 2 three times in a row than see this again. This movie was flat, unfunny, and just a complete waste of time. I am sorry, I really wanted it to be good, but I think I laughed once the entire time.

Molly Shannon was good, but still not that funny. I imagine when reading the script it may have seemed funnier than it was. Someone said it was going to be a classic and be quoted form like Caddyshack! PLEASE!!

Skip it.

"Wet Hot American Summer" is an overlooked comic gem and an absurdest spoof of those god-awful summer camp movies from the 1980's. If you enjoy "Monty Python" style sketch humor or were a fan of "The State" (many of the players are employed here) or "Kids in the Hall," then this is the ticket for you. People who enjoy humor more in line with the Farelly Brothers or the "American Pie" films probably just won't "get this." It's all a matter of taste and your sense of humor. But seriously, how can you go wrong with a movie that has a pep talk from a talking can of vegetables or an overly dramatic chase scene where the person doing the chasing is thwarted by a single barrel of hay in the middle of a wide open road? My personal favorite is when the guy is driving the van singing along to "Danny's Song" and then out of nowhere screams bloody murder as he slams into a tree. Oh, and who can forget the hilariously rapid decent into the underworld of drugs and despair by the kids spending an hour away from camp in town? This is also a must see for people who appreciate Janeane Garafalo's comic timing and Molly Shannon's bizarre brand of humor. This film was grossly overlooked when it hit theaters, but I think there is a cult following waiting for this movie. I hope these people are allowed to collaborate on another comedy. If they are, then we may have a new dawn of "Monty Python" style humor infecting the barbarian hordes.

The whole summer camp culture is lost on this Brit. Therefore, I feel as though much of the humor flew right past me. Luckily, the film is full of talent that, now at least, is recognized everywhere. The large ensemble and skittish nature of the film allow it to hit a few number of highs and completely bounce over any lows. It's obvious to see how such a film could reach cult status. We are treated to a number of setups that are probably funnier for the audience when recollecting the events. Some of the actors even attempt braver roles, such as Bradley Cooper. Certainly worth a watch, even if just to see these huge talents excel years before their collective dominance.

Wet Hot American Summer is the kind of movie where you either get it or you don't. If you do, you're good. If you don't, you are the red-headed step child among your friends and are subject to ridicule because you didn't laugh all that much. I have to say I'm in that category, but I appreciated what the film was doing. It was trying to be a different movie for a certain crowd. It succeeds in being different, but not much else.

I think that this film is appreciated by people who also worship The Big Lebowski and the new comedy Our Idiot Brother, also starring Paul Rudd. They have a certain quotable reputation and are filled with so many random and oddball scenes that they soon get the cult classic status. I did like The Big Lebowski, but didn't see much hope in a rewatch because of the humor only being truly hilarious one time around. Some have said that Wet Hot American Summer gets better with repeated viewings. I don't think I'll stick around to find out.

The story is just thrown together with odds, ends, and characters. Everything is thrown against the wall and the characters wander aimlessly throughout the camp hoping to be hit on the end with some comical elements. We're at Camp Firewood, a Jewish summer camp, and this is the last day of the summer. Everyone is scrambling to find someone of the opposite sex, or same sex, to be with so they can share a kiss at the end of the summer talent show.

The characters are has shallow as the no diving end at a pool. We have Beth (Garofalo), the camp director. Henry (Pierce), an astrophysicist. Coop (Showalter) who has a crush on Katie (Moreau), but unfortunately for him, Katie's boyfriend is the ungrateful, incompetent, ignoramus Andy (Rudd). Gene (Meloni), the Vietnam vet. And way more.

Director David Wain is known for his odd style as he's written and directed Cartoon Network shows like Children's Hospital and Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job. So he does tackle a semi-original idea here. Too bad it's gone to waste. There's one scene where two boys discover their best friend is gay, and rather than taking it in a mature manner, writer Michael Showalter seems to be laughing while writing making the scene unnecessary and tasteless.

For some reason, I've never liked the idea of a summer camp setting in a comedy. It's rarely taken in a fresh manner, and it always results in the same jokes again and again. Some horror movies, like Friday the 13th work because they are in a camp, at night, giving a creepy vibe to an already uneasy setting. In comedies that use the setting, it seems that every film is just random antics, with no rhyme or reason, filled with incompetent camp counselors and teenagers fueled by raging hormones and immaturity.

The characters are drawn and made to be likable, but they are nothing but walking mannequins motivated by personal satisfaction, lust, ego, and hormones. Many of us are, but it rarely do these things make a good, likable film. If the film had been more about finding your inner self and more a coming of age story rather than just be a comedy run by the characters' ridiculous antics it probably could've been more inspiring and more entertaining.

The acting and directing doesn't kill the film has much as the events and characters do. Wet Hot American Summer isn't horrible, but it's repetitive and predictable. What I found wrong may be what someone else finds perfectly fine. The legion of fans will have to accept my review and move on. For every one person who doesn't like this there are half a dozen more who do.

Starring: Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Molly Shannon, Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni, Michael Showalter. Directed by: David Wain.

Wet Hot American Summer is without question, the funniest movie to come out in years, and certainly among the funniest I've ever seen. The reason you might not have heard of it is because it isn't as advertised as other movies, because it doesn't have the type of budget to advertise itself. It breaks my heart that horribly made, unfunny, unoriginal movies, such as American Pie 2, were in more theaters and are more available to rent or buy.

The humor in WHAS is not comparable to humor in any other movie that comes to mind. The humor is a lot like the what you would see on The State (because it was written/directed by State cast members). Many scenes are just so ridiculous that you have to laugh, and if you don't, its because you are taking the movie too seriously.

The day this movie came out on video, my friends and I watched it as many times as we could manage to, in one day. Every time we watched, we noticed something new, and still laughed hysterically at the stuff we noticed the first time. It has the type of replay value that should make you go out and buy it, rather than rent it.

The setting is Camp Firewood, the year 1981. It is the last day before everyone goes back to the real world, but there is still a summer's worth of unfinished business to resolve.

What a great cast: Bradley Cooper, Amy Poehler, Molly Shannon, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Rudd and others. Some of them young and just on the verge of starting their careers (this was Cooper's first film). Others , like David Hyde Pierce, were stepping outside the box people had come to expect from them.

I do love that it is a mixture of "The State" (greatest sketch comedy show ever) and "Saturday Night Live". I love that it features my favorite Loverboy song ("Turn Me Loose") and I especially love all the pointless Wilhelm Screams.

No thorough review is necessary. This film already has enough fans. While I think it may be slightly overrated, and not as good as "They Came Together", the love is understandable. Especially for Chef Gene, who is really the glue holding this picture together.

I've been wanting to see this movie ever since I read an article in Entertainment Weekly about how funny it was and included many comedians, that were unknown in 2001, that are well known now. I was completely set to see a movie about camping in the early 80s and when I saw it on Netflix I knew it was time. Then splat, I couldn't believe the garbage I was seeing. Yeah it was cool to see some of my favorite comedians and actors in one of their earlier films, like Paul Rudd, but I didn't laugh once. I saw it as a dramedy trying too hard to have some comedic value but failed miserably. Maybe it was my expectations or maybe you had to have experienced camps similar to this to understand it. Whatever the reason I can safely say that I am glad I never watched this film when it came out or I might not have risked seeing some of the actors' later films.

A lot of people seemed to like it though so despite the fact that I didn't I wouldn't say don't waste your time. Watch it yourself and make up your own minds about it, but I will say this: lower your expectations, you just might enjoy it because of that.

I have read all of the on-line reviews of this movie and I don't understand what all the fuss is about. I mean, I'm from Philadelphia, and Wet Hot American Summer was just about the worst movie I've seen all year. If this is supposed to be satire, it falls flat. If this is supposed to be absurdity, it's pretty banal. Looking at this movie from 1000 different angles, I see 1000 bad movies, and I don't want to hear "you just don't get it." That is a lazy defense of a comedy. Try giving reasons, evidence, support for your claims. You know, the essence of an argument. I don't know, I don't really care anyways. Just forget it.

Look this isn't a master class of comedy, but see it for what it is, a parody of summer camp films cliche and just enjoy it

Wet Hot American Summer is one of the funniest movies I have seen in a long time. It has an excellent cast, including: Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Michael Showalter, Paul Rudd, Chris Melloni, Amy Poehler and Michael Ian Black. This spoof of summer camp movies from the 70's and 80's does a great job of recreating the implausible and predictable plots of the movies of the ear while still staying incredibly funny and fresh. WHAS touches on all the old themes, such as the nice guy trying to get the hot girl, the director awkwardly trying to find love, and the outcast who saves the day. Some of the funniest scenes in the movie are the ones that are so random and unexpected-Andy and the kids in the van, the trip into town, etc.-that you just have to laugh. I have no idea why it didn't receive more attention. It's a shame that a movie this good hasn't received the attention that it deserves.

Then this movie will be hard for you to enjoy ... unless you are a huge fan of caddyshack, meatballs, animal house, grease and all the other coming-of-age genre movies starting with THE BAD NEWS BEARS and ending with UP THE CREEK.

The main issue with this movie is it can't decide whether it is an homage to or parody of a genre which parodies itself.

On the upside there is a lot of talent in this movie (some of which reached its zenith with this film school project) The downside is talent can't fix script written by confused drunk clown.

What planet are you people from?! That anyone could find this movie even remotely funny is proof positive that there is no God. Watching this was like being trapped in a room with a bunch of potheads who think that they're being funnier than they in fact are. And the fact that some people on this site described the "humor" in this abomination as "subtle" is probably funnier than anything in the movie itself. Would someone please explain to me how a man humping a refrigerator or a girl saying that she needs some spermicide, "You know, for my pu**y," is subtle. This is the movie that you'd expect a bunch of twelve year old boys with a movie camera and too much time on their hands to make. This movie was actually painful to watch. It was like watching the very concept of "funny" sicken, die and rot before my very eyes. Not for the squeamish.

I actually didn't see this until after I went to camp for the first time. I was probably too young to see this before I went anyways. But this is very much what its like at camp. Sometimes you just sit around and talk about funny stuff that is just fun to do to. You don't always have to be doing stuff. Some of my favourite memories about camp are just from meeting different people (some weird) and talking about funny stiff. This is what this film is all the weird funny stuff that happens at camp.

I somehow managed to go 16 years without knowing this movie existed and I wish I could have kept it that way. A certain movie podcast host mentioned how great this was(and that it was based on movies like Sleepaway Camp) and after seeing that it was the guys from The State, I knew it had to be funny. I couldn't have been more wrong. This movie has no comedy and no real story. Just a bunch of lame, shallow characters. Sleepaway Camp was not only a much better movie, it was a lot funnier and it wasn't even a comedy. Never see this.

This movie is not funny. It's Friggin' HILARIOUS. The first time I watched it was during the winter and I laughed a few times, but remembering the motorcycle chase scene, I gave it another run and was blown away. I haven't laughed so hard since the second time I saw "The Big Lebowski" and I ended up buying my own copy.

What is it about Summer Camp movies? Is it nostalgia or what? I'm really not sure. I've always had a weakness for them, but this tops all. Ironically, it's a parody of nearly every Summer Camp movie out there and it covers many, MANY other topics that I'm just too lazy to ruin for you. It's also better than just about any other Summer Camp movie out there, and despite all the absurdity going on, it actually does a good job of catching that feeling of being at camp.

There's not much more I can say about this one without ruining most of the jokes, but I can say that if you want a comedy that's actually funny, then don't rent this. BUY IT. Watch it at least once a month for the rest of your life (once a week during the Summer) and encourage your friends to do the same. This is why the term "instant classic" was invented.

Yeah, I get it. They were attempting to create a spoof/parody of 70s/80s camp films. Done properly, this could have been a comedic classic. As it stands, the writers were apparently convinced that cornball "humor" and supposedly satirical and overt stereotypes were enough to appeal to the masses on the basis of forced "irony" and quasi-esoteric inside jokes. What a mess.

The first thing that should have tipped me off that this would ultimately prove to be a complete waste of my time was the inclusion of Michael Ian Black, who is mostly known for an appalling bevy of failed, tragically unfunny Comedy Central shows. Try as he might, Black is could not be funny if his life depended on it, which is a shame because I honestly want to like the guy.

Aside from Black, the film boasts a sizable number of actors/comedians who would ultimately move on to greater things. Then again, graduating to public access TV would constitute "moving on to greater things" after appearing in this abomination.

There really is nothing at all to like about this movie, at least for me. Sure, there are fanboys out there who will tell you that you "just don't get it", as if hidden beneath the tepid ooze lies some masterful form of comic genius. Trust me - if you vainly search for any sort of redeeming, comedic value in this mess, you will be sorely disappointed.