7 out of 7 people found this review helpful.
A State of mine
Date of Review: Aug 7, 2001
The Bottom Line: The kind of movie you wish the Zuckers were still making. It captures the essence and absurdity of the 80s camp comedy, and all its naivete, perfectly--it's hilarious.
There are two ways to go into a film. Knowing something about it, and knowing nothing about it. Wet Hot American Summer will probably be best enjoyed by the moviegoer who knows something about what's coming. You should, first and foremost, know that this is a spoof, which means plot is incidental. It also means that there's a lot of ground to cover, since Wet Hot's subject matter is pretty expansive. There seems to be no end to the Meatballs-esque genre, the summer camp comedy, with all the stereotypes in place: the jock stud, nerd, meathead, pseudo-stud, Barbie doll, unpretty girl in need of Barbie's beauty tips, the nympho everyone wants. Wet Hot is no exception. It takes the genre, pumps it full of caffeine, and goes to work.
Brought to you by many of the people from The State, the late great comedy sketch TV show, Wet Hot doesn't pitch high. It aims low, and hits the mark 90 percent of the time. I won't give away any of the jokes, because so many of them rely on surprise. Suffice it to say the jokes are mostly raunchy, taking cues from the source material, and all utterly dependent on the viewer having a finely honed sense of the absurd. (There is, I'll divulge, a talking can of mixed vegetables. But it works, I swear. Really. It does.) If you are sensitive to raw language and humor, this film isn't for you. If you spent too much of your youth watching Meatballs, Porky's, Friday the 13th, Revenge of the Nerds, or any other from this genre, go see this movie.
It's a welcome relief from the derth of comedy in the local multiplex this summer. This and Ghost World, from what I can tell, are the only comedies worth seeing at the moment. Possibly the only films at all. There's much to be mined for this spoof, and the filmmakers get most of it right, though, it should be said, sometimes it goes a bit too far with a joke that wasn't all that funny in the first place. It's smarter and more observant (the key quality in any spoof) than Scary Movie. (And it's Citizen Kane, compared to Scary Movie 2.)
"Frasier"'s David Hyde Pierce and Garafalo are hilarious, as is most of the cast. Keep your eye out for an understated Molly Shannon (formerly of "SNL"), who performs brilliantly, hilariously, as a recently divorced emotionally wrecked camp counselor, as well as the kid who helps her through the tears.
If you're looking for lowbrow fun, this is it. You might even feel a little nostalgia for the days when Porky's was actually scandalous.
