Review of Wet Hot American Summer (2001) by Cord M — 29 Nov 2018

One of the best comedic ensemble casts. Debuting in 2001, Wet Hot American Summer wasn't a big hit upon its initial release but quickly gained a cult following on home video due to its absurdist comedy. More interesting is the film has incredibly talented comedic actors at the top of their game before they were household names. Paul Rudd, Bradley Cooper, Amy Poehler and Elizabeth Banks to name a few that really nail the over-the-top acting and silliness-and is one of the first movies showcasing how naturally funny Paul Rudd is.

Absurdist gags at their best. It's not a surprise that Wet Hot American Summer was not a big hit with audiences upon its release. The humor is very specific and appeals to a certain kind of audience. From a man dry-humping a refrigerator to a montage of the counselors going into town for groceries, escalating to them robbing an old lady and being strung out on heroin, then returning to camp cheering and smiling, the film cannonballs into the absurd, unapologetically and often. Once you embrace what it is, it's a hilarious ride like nothing you've seen before.

It's a great parody of 80's summer camp films. The film can get away with bizarre gags because it's a brilliant send-up of popular summer camp films of the 1980's like Meatballs. Director David Wain has an excellent eye for cliché and takes that to extremes throughout like the entire cast being in their 30's, but they play teenage camp counselors-a jab at Hollywood's practice of casting people much older to play 16-year-olds. And as with most summer camp films, Camp Firewood seems to be a haven for the counselors to constantly ignore the kids- and pranks and bullying - with no consequence. There are points where counselors make out with each other while kids drown and scream for help behind them and then it's just onto the next scene. This underlying darkness to many jokes make this one of my favorite comedies of all time.