Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Christopher Meloni

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 center of the a...( read more  read more... )ction is 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 toward 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.

Flixster Users

87% liked it

31,907 ratings

Critics

31% liked it

64 critics

R, 1 hr. 37 min.

Directed by: David Wain

Release Date: January 19, 2001

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DVD Release Date: January 8, 2002

Stats: 2,513 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (2,513)


  • August 4, 2009
    Classic random and dumb humor from the guys from The State. If you're not laughing in the first 10 minutes you may as well shut it off because you won't get it. Hot Wet American Summer is a wonderful take-off of the tidal wave of summer camp movies from the late 70s and early 80s...( read more) that will leave you asking what the fuck while having you laugh your ass off. This movie gets more hilarious with every viewing. And this movie left me with a new-found respect for Christopher Meloni. And his jar of dick cream...
  • July 21, 2009
    Fromm the stars of the MTV sketch comedy show "The State" comes this alleged parody of 80s teen comedies. In reality this summer camp film plays more like the genuine article than an ironic caricature. The film is structurally weak. The look of the era is nicely captured, but ...( read more)scene after scene is so sloppily written and put together, there isn't much of a point. Director David Wain would ultimately write & direct the excellent Role Models, but you'd have to have been psychic to see that talent here.
  • March 6, 2009
    Well guys, we've made it to the end of the summer in one piece, except for a few campers who are lepers.

    This movie is crazy insane!

    The dialogue has no boundaries what so ever. It''s random and hilarious. But the only downfall was that it was just a tad bit long. I got ...( read more)done with the movie 15 minutes before it ended. So that's only one bad thing about it.

    Pretty Funny.
  • January 6, 2009
    One of the worst "comedies" I've ever seen. This is a mess from start to finish. There were several times I was close to turning it off, but kept hoping it would get better. There basically is no plot and the movie doesn't have any kind of flow to it. Normally with a movie li...( read more)ke this I can manage a few chuckles, but all I could do was roll my eyes at the attempts of humor. A complete disaster!
  • June 26, 2008
    Gene: "Now we need to make 8 gallons of bug juice by snack hour, do you know where the powder packets are?
    Gary: Yeah.
    Gene: In the pantry, above the sink, right next to my bottle of dick cream. Uh, wait, forget that last part.
    Gary: Did you say dick cream?
    Gene: No! I sa...( read more)id next to my... stick... team, you know stick team! Stickball! Go away leave me alone!"


    Set in August 1981, Summer takes us to the final day at a summer camp where an assortment of characters try to get some order in their lives before everyone departs. The most prominent storylines feature the camp?s director (Janeane Garofalo) trying to win the attention of a nerdy college professor (David Hyde Pierce), and a nice guy (movie co-writer Michael Showalter) seeking the attention of his fellow camp counselor (Marguerite Moreau). doomed to fail, and to the movie?s credit, he does. Rudd is fantastic as the prototypical jerk boyfriend. He should get a patent on his sigh. Molly Shannon scores in her supporting role as a sunny arts teacher in a personal crisis, who gets help from an unlikely source. A true revelation, though, is Chris Meloni who most of us know from "Oz" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit". Was so funny.
  • November 18, 2009
    A classic from David Wain and the rest of Stella. This exaggerated comedy is full of ridiculously funny characters and witty dialogue that you can't help but laugh at it's ridiculousness.
  • October 25, 2009
    very stupid jokes....
  • October 22, 2009
    Great comedy.Im glad I watched it
  • October 10, 2009
    This movie was CRAZY! Ahahahaha.
  • September 21, 2009
    i half watched this because i was having too much fun with some friends, but there were some ridiculous scenes. ian black and and the other guy's sex scene was disturbing to say the least. xD

Critic Reviews


June 20, 2005
Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness

A dumb - and fitfully funny - send-up of an already dumb genre. full review

October 24, 2003
Marcy Dermansky, About.com

When the jokes work, they really work. full review

August 31, 2001
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

Likably silly. full review

August 31, 2001
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

I want to escape, / Oh, Muddah Faddah-- / Life's too short for cinematic torture. full review

August 2, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

The laughs are scattershot. full review

July 27, 2001
Claudia Puig, USA Today

The writing here is rarely funny, and often trite and predictable. full review

July 27, 2001
A.O. Scott, The New York Times

This sloppy comedy may be a pleasant reminder of days gone by. full review

View more Wet Hot American Summer reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

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Wet Hot American Summer Trivia


  • In "Wet Hot American Summer," Gene receives advice from...?  Answer »
  • Name the movie from which this quotes appears: "You listen to me Mr. Kick Ass, Mr. Rubber Burner, you better wipe that hot shot grin off your face or I'll shoot off, ya got that."  Answer »
  • Which movie is thie quote from? "When I was at camp, my favorite activity was always arts and crafts. Or, as we used to call it: arts and *farts* and crafts. We used to make drawings... cave drawings!"  Answer »
  • How long do the camp counselors spend in town on their drug binge in Wet Hot American Summer?  Answer »

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