Wet Hot American Summer

"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.

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.

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.

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.

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.