WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER - review

WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER
Director: David Wain
Cast: Janeane Garofolo, David Hyde Pierce, Michael Showalter, Marguerite Moreau, Michael Ian Black, Zak Orth, Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni, Molly Shannon, Ken Marino, Joe Lo Truglio, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Elizabeth Banks, Marisa Ryan

Synopsis: The setting is Camp Firewood, the year 1981. It's the last day before everyone goes back to the real world, but there's still a summer's worth of unfinished business to resolve. At the centre of the action is the camp director Beth, who struggles to keep order while she falls in love with the local astrophysics professor. He is busy trying to save the camp from a deadly piece of NASA's Skylab which is hurtling towards earth. All that, plus: a dangerous waterfall rescue, love triangles, misfits, cool kids, and talking vegetable cans, The questions will all be resolved, of course, at the big talent show at the end of the day. 

In anticipation of the Netflix series WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER FIRST DAY OF CAMP, the Red Haired Amazona and I sat down to watch the 2001 cult classic WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER. I have to say, I don't remember why I never watched this when it came out, and after watching it I sat asking myself why it's taken me so long to watch it. That's not necessarily how I felt whilst watching it, but after giving it time to settle in and getting over the "WTF just happened" feeling, I worked out that I loved it.

The camp residents include the camp director Beth (Janeane Garofolo), a local astrophysics associate professor (David Hyde Pierce), a recently divorced art teacher (Molly Shannon), a whole bunch of horny teenage camp counsellors, inlcuding but not limited to Paul Rudd, Michael Showalter, Bradley Cooper and Amy Poehler, and the Vietnam Vet camp cook (Christopher Meloni). Each comes with their own ridiculous subplot, and somehow they all intertwine in a way that is somewhat magical.

WHAS camp counsellors all together - what a cast! 

WHAS is co-written by David Wain (who directs) and Michael Showalter (who co-stars in a number of roles), and the two have put together a parody of a parody, that is so on point that you can easily mistake this parody for the real deal, which is what leaves you with so much of a WTF just happened feeling. The strange deadpan tone that carries throughout the film is what makes it funny, even when the jokes don't quite hit the mark.

Amy Poehler and Bradley Cooper are the Camp theatre counsellors - can you tell?

It's one of those movies where things happen; there are conversations, there's action, there's drama, there's funny, but at the same time nothing really happens. So when you sit there thinking "what is the point", just remember that there is no point, and that is the point. It's a movie for movies sake and it's funny for funnys sake. There doesn't need to be a point if it makes you laugh.

The casting in this film is fantastic, for starters, Paul Rudd as a moody, rebellious, teenage stud Andy might be one of my most favourite castings of all times. Watching him huffing and puffing around like the world's most hard done by fella reminded me so much of the Red Haired Amazona's SonOfAGun #1 that it's not funny!

Paul Rudd and Elizabeth Banks shirking their duties of child supervision

There's an amazing drug fuelled bender montage, awkward teenage romances, homoerotic scenes and of course a talent show. What really got me about this film, other than the ever delectable Paul Rudd of course, was Christopher Meloni is what can only be described as the greatest role of his career.  I had no idea he could possibly be so funny, I particularly liked the scene with the fridge. That's all I'm going to say about that, if you have seen it, you will know what I'm talking about and if you haven't you'll just have to wait to experience it yourself. Also, this...

Christopher Maloney dancing - what else could you possibly want in a film?!

It's hard to know exactly what to say about this film, it's a cult classic and I have recently come to see why. I now feel prepared to kick back with the Red Haired Amazona, some wine and Netflix to get into the WHAS First Day At Camp series.

film quality - 2 out of 5
film enjoyment and what the actual F factor - 4 out of 5

xoxo
The Blonde Bombshell