Wet Hot American Summer

2001

Directed By: David Wain

Written By: David Wain; Michael Showalter

Starring: Janeane Garofalo; David Hyde Pierce; Molly Shannon; Paul Rudd; Christopher Meloni; Michael Showalter

Wet Hot American Summer is a 2001 American teen comedy film directed by David Wain from a screenplay written by Wain and Michael Showalter. The film features an ensemble cast, including Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Molly Shannon, Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni, Michael Showalter (and various other members of the sketch comedy group “The State”), Elizabeth Banks, Ken Marino, Michael Ian Black, Bradley Cooper (in his film debut), Amy Poehler, Zak Orth, and A.D. Miles. It takes place during the last full day at a fictional summer camp in 1981 and spoofs the sex comedies aimed at teen audiences of that era.

The film was a critical and commercial failure, but has since developed a cult following, as many of its cast members have gone on to high-profile work. Netflix revived the franchise with the release of an eight-episode prequel series starring most of the film's original cast on July 31, 2015; and an eight-episode sequel series, set ten years after the original film, on August 4, 2017.