Reviewed by James RyderWet Hot American Summer opens to an excellent title screen montage of camp counselors partying out by a campfire to Jefferson Starship’s “Jane” (which I originally mistook for Aldo Nova’s “Fantasy” due to the similar piano riff). This brief segment perfectly sets the tone for the rest of the movie, and perhaps encapsulates the motif of “youths hanging out in the summer” better than anything that follows. The art of the title sequence may be a lost one, but Wet Hot American Summer's simple but effective opening sequence (along with its clever end credits) make the case that it isn’t quite dead.
The move that is sandwiched between the two credits is a fairly broad parody of the “summer camp” genre. The film follows an ensemble of camp counselors (played by Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Michael Ian Black, Molly Shannon, Amy Poehler and the film’s co-writer Michael Showalter) as they finish up various camp activities on the last day of camp. Many summer camp comedies feature: a sporting event against a superior rival camp, some sort of event that threatens to shut the camp down forever, or getting lost in the wilderness. This film sends up all three at various points, though at times some of the scenes and sequences seemed like they would be better fit for a sketch comedy program rather than scenes in a feature film, true to Showalter and director David Wain’s roots.
Among the film's subtle humor is the fact that the counselors are at least 10 years too old to play their parts, numerous (allegedly) intentional continuity errors, and the strong possibility that of the camp’s kids may be missing due to incredibly poor supervision. The film also delves heavily into absurdist humor, with a short trip to the library devolving into a crack den before returning to the camp within an hour and a talking can of vegetables rounding out the cast.
Particularly interesting is to see the cast perform in roles that fall outside of their typecasting, particularly those who would go on to fame in the future. Paul Rudd is a womanizing jerk as opposed to his now generic role of “lovable screw up” (Dinner for Schmucks). Bradley Cooper is a gay dance instructor as opposed to his now standard role of “slightly cocky, sometimes likeable ladies man” (The Hangover: Part II). Christopher Meloni is an unhinged camp cook as opposed to an unhinged, overprotective cop (Law and Order: SVU. Okay, so the roles are similar, but this one is comedic).
Frequently amusing, sometimes laugh out loud funny, Wet Hot American Summer might be a good pick for a lazy August evening, though those opposed to absurdist humor, will likely be lost. For dump bin prices, this is a decent pick, though it won’t convert anyone to its oddball style.
The trouble with writing a recommendation for this film is that fans of its peculiar brand of humor (and of the The State, Stella, etc) will probably have seen this film a dozen times over by now. True to this cult following, there are many retrospective interviews appearing across the web, including those at Entertainment Weekly and the New York Magazine.
Be sure to stay after the end credits for a brief epilog.
© 2011 Beyond the Films
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