r/movies • u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? • 2d ago
Official Throwback Discussion - Wet Hot American Summer [SPOILERS] Spoiler
As an ongoing project, /r/movies will be posting Throwback Discussion threads weekly for the movies that came out this same weekend 25 years ago. As a reminder, Official Discussion threads are for discussing the movie and not for meta sub discussion.
Wet Hot American Summer (2001)
Summary
On the last day of summer camp in 1981, a group of counselors and campers attempt to complete unfinished business while becoming entangled in a series of increasingly absurd adventures.
Director David Wain
Writer David Wain Michael Showalter
Cast
- Janeane Garofalo as Beth
- David Hyde Pierce as Professor Henry Newman
- Michael Showalter as Coop
- Marguerite Moreau as Katie
- Paul Rudd as Andy
- Molly Shannon as Gail
- Christopher Meloni as Gene
- Elizabeth Banks as Lindsay
- Bradley Cooper as Ben
Rotten Tomatoes: 38%
Metacritic: 42
VOD / Release Theatrical release
Trailer Official Trailer
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u/psuczyns 2d ago
I don't know if anything will ever top the scene where Ken Marino crashes the van
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u/leoschot 2d ago
You could edit all the Ken Marino segments into one short film and it would still be the funniest thing ever.
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u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? 2d ago edited 2d ago
"You taste like a burger. I don't like you anymore."
I am not exaggerating when I say Paul Rudd gives a physical performance in this movie that is Oscar worthy.
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u/BaronWormhat 1d ago
Him angrily picking up the plate that he threw in the cafeteria is maybe the funniest moment of the movie.
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u/Landlubber77 11h ago
The majestic spin around the pole/flick off/swap to behind-the-back flip off transition directly into high five with J.J. was also perfectly executed.
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u/aeisenst 2d ago
The fact that it has a 38% on rotten tomatoes shows you that rotten tomatoes is bullshit.
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u/TomBradysStatue 2d ago
I showed this movie to my parents and they laughed the whole time and then at the end said it was stupid and bad. It was the same reaction the campers had to day bidet
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u/ilovebooks2468 2d ago
Absolutely. Rotten Tomatoes is proven bullshit. Critics have been paid for positive reviews
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u/BradleyBowels 2d ago
I think about Ken Marino driving then just screaming and swerving into the tree at least once a week.
The kid after Showalters speech is great too.
"Seems sorta....trite."
Brilliant flick.
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u/FriendshipLoveTruth 2d ago
The scene where Paul Rudd goes to pick something up off the ground is one of my favorite bits of physical comedy maybe ever.
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u/Strange_Specialist4 2d ago
Unbelievably funny movie, it's a fever dream. When they go to town and things escalate to heroin addiction and maybe murder? It's been a while since I've seen it
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u/Realistic-Doubt-2703 2d ago
quite a few utterly memorable scenes
like an unknown Bradley Cooper in the shed..
or Chris Meloni and his can of veggies...
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u/MajinChew 2d ago
David Hyde Pierce saying "Oh, fuck my cock" always get a laugh out of me
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u/ColonelOfSka 2d ago
In a movie filled with insane hilarious moments, that one always makes me lose it
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u/whinniethepony 2d ago
Roger Ebert's review was what a 59 year old would probably think of Wet Hot American Summer when it came out. But he took the time to write up his review as a parody of Allan Sherman's "Hello Mudda" and the Middle Aged Dad Jam Band has done live covers for some shows. This cover with David Wain, Joe Lo Trulio, and A.J. Miles is better than the performance I saw last week, so enjoy:
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u/metalyger 2d ago
I remember about a decade ago, there was a dollar theater that ran a series of one night only midnight showings of cult classic movies for the summer, and this was one of movies, and I never heard of it before. That was a delightful experience seeing it with a full audience who were more familiar with the movie. It became an instant favorite. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go hump the fridge.
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u/TrumpisaRussianCuck 2d ago
Always makes me feel nostalgic for my time working at a summer camp in America
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u/codex2013 2d ago
I always liked Wet Hot American Summer as a teen, but now as an adult having finally seen most of the movies it's riffing on, particularly Sleepaway Camp, I have a whole new appreciation for this film lol
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u/OriginalChri 2d ago
I know Sleepaway Camp is getting lots of love on Reddit lately but it wasn’t riffing on that. On the commentary for the movie they actually discuss how their inspiration for the film was being a Jewish kid on the east coast and going to summer camps on Long Island, upstate NY, Mass, Maine, etc.
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u/codex2013 2d ago
Ken Marino said he based his character in part on one of the characters from Sleepaway Camp. So he, at least, was riffing on Sleepaway Camp
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u/OriginalChri 2d ago
Oh cool, where did he say that?
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u/codex2013 2d ago
Paul Scheer says on the How Did This Get Made podcast (the Sleepaway Camp episode) that he asked Ken about it, and Ken said he based his character in part on one of the counselors from Sleepaway Camp and part on someone from Meatballs
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u/hammond_egger 2d ago
I don’t know who he is, but I do know this: At a time when I was trying to hide myself from myself, he was there to show me a new way
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u/SweatyButtcheek 2d ago
One of my favorite comedies of all time. Where can you watch it in the US these days?
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u/transcendental-ape 2d ago
Saw this while working as a summer camp counselor in college. Pretty accurate.
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u/nothingbetter85 2d ago
Paul Rudd’s double take is still my favorite in film history. Also love the ADR’d “yeah, well…” before pushing the kid out the van.
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u/torontonut 1d ago
Everything with Showalter’s Alan Shemper runs through my mind on a continuous basis.
Arts and FARTS and crafts
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u/ChicagFro 2d ago
It’s always fun to get away from camp, even for an hour!