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Wet Hot American Summer

Play trailer Poster for Wet Hot American Summer R Released Jul 27, 2001 1h 37m Comedy Play Trailer Watchlist
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39% Tomatometer 77 Reviews 75% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
Set on the last day of camp, in the hot summer of 1981, "Wet Hot American Summer" follows a group of counselors who are each trying to complete their unfinished business before the day ends. The entire summer of pent-up sexual frustrations, unresolved post-traumatic stress, pending separations and of course, the talent show, all weigh heavily on the minds and groins of counselors and campers alike.
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Wet Hot American Summer

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Critics Consensus

Wet Hot American Summer's incredibly talented cast is too often outmatched by a deeply silly script that misses its targets at least as often as it skewers them.

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Critics Reviews

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Gene Seymour Los Angeles Times But even with its tackiness arched at an ironic angle, "Wet Hot American Summer's" long-term fate is to become at best a last-minute accessory to a Blockbuster night of pizza and beverages. Mar 31, 2019 Full Review Lisa Alspector Chicago Reader The title of this inventive absurdist comedy (2001) is meant to mislead-it's not a sex movie but a parody, and the loose feel is part of its genius. Mar 31, 2019 Full Review Nathan Lee Village Voice Structured only by its time frame (the last day of camp) and total commitment to casualness, the movie feels tossed off in the most appealing way, Mar 31, 2019 Full Review Chance Solem-Pfeifer Willamette Week Wet Hot has endured based on its particular humor—that of sketch-comedy cohort The State. This means, of course, that the best jokes go on far too long. See: Paul Rudd's endless temper tantrum at being asked not to leave his lunch on the cafeteria floor. Jan 22, 2025 Full Review Michael Cuby them. Wet Hot American Summer only seems to get better with time. Part of this can be chalked up to its stellar cast... Sep 27, 2022 Full Review Andrew Galdi Movie Bitches The cast is unbeatable Rated: 10 Aug 12, 2020 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Peyton S Watching Wet Hot American Summer for the first time years ago felt like stumbling upon a strange little indie comedy that seemed almost too ridiculous for its own good—and I loved every second of it. At the time, I had no idea who any of these actors were. They were just this wacky group of over-the-top characters running around a summer camp, delivering completely absurd dialogue with such confidence that it was impossible not to laugh. Fast forward to adulthood, after seeing so many of these actors become huge stars—Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Elizabeth Banks, the list goes on—revisiting Wet Hot American Summer is like opening a time capsule. It’s wild to see them all at the start of their careers, fully committing to this chaotic, offbeat humor long before Hollywood caught on. The best part is how well the comedy holds up. The absurdity, the deadpan delivery, the sheer randomness of it all—it somehow gets funnier with time. Knowing now how talented and successful the cast became only adds another layer of enjoyment, like spotting future legends before they knew they were legends. It’s a cult classic for a reason. Watching it again as an adult makes you appreciate not just the humor, but the sheer boldness of a film that didn’t care about making sense as long as it made you laugh. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/05/25 Full Review Jacob B An ensemble comedy that was unfairly screwed over by distributors when it first came out in 2001 but has proven to be a cult classic, and not entirely without reason. While not every joke sticks the landing in Wet Hot American Summer, the film has more than its fair share of memorable characters, some of whom you'll like more than other, jokes that REALLY hit when they work and a couple of plot points in a pseudo-anthology structure that all get tied up neatly in the climax without making the narrative feel cluttered make this film's reputation as an underrated indie film feel completely warranted. Feels like a hangout film from before the term was coined. Critics definitely treated this film too harshly. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/18/25 Full Review Patrick G I find it hilarious that this has such a low rotten tomatoes score. The fact that the critics are so f***ing stupid and totally missed what's going on here. They should honestly be embarrassed. Critics in any niche though....you know? Love this movie so much. And extremely fun, obviously ridiculous, and dumb movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/10/25 Full Review Matthias R. It’s funny with crabs Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/21/25 Full Review Stephen C Funny in 1 hour and 37 minutes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated R for Language, Drug Sequence and Strong Sexual Content!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The USA grossed over $292,100.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/04/25 Full Review chelsea S. cute and funny. this is a cult classic. i used to watch this in my teen yrs when it was first released. still watch it from time to time. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 06/24/25 Full Review Read all reviews
Wet Hot American Summer

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Wet Hot American Summer

Wet Hot American Summer: Official Clip - Less Than Wet Hot American Summer: Official Clip - Less Than 2:26 Wet Hot American Summer: Official Clip - Where's the Phone? Wet Hot American Summer: Official Clip - Where's the Phone? 2:13 Wet Hot American Summer: Official Clip - Higher and Higher Montage Wet Hot American Summer: Official Clip - Higher and Higher Montage 2:32 Wet Hot American Summer: Official Clip - An Unlikely Team of Misfits Wet Hot American Summer: Official Clip - An Unlikely Team of Misfits 1:22 Wet Hot American Summer: Official Clip - Wait for Me, Abbie Bernstein! Wet Hot American Summer: Official Clip - Wait for Me, Abbie Bernstein! 2:07 Wet Hot American Summer: Official Clip - Cleaning Up & Breaking Down Wet Hot American Summer: Official Clip - Cleaning Up & Breaking Down 2:17 Wet Hot American Summer: Official Clip - The Talking Can Wet Hot American Summer: Official Clip - The Talking Can 1:22 Wet Hot American Summer: Official Clip - Hump the Fridge Wet Hot American Summer: Official Clip - Hump the Fridge 2:22 Wet Hot American Summer: Official Clip - Going into Town Wet Hot American Summer: Official Clip - Going into Town 2:27 Wet Hot American Summer: Official Clip - Making Out Wet Hot American Summer: Official Clip - Making Out 2:17 View more videos
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Movie Info

Synopsis Set on the last day of camp, in the hot summer of 1981, "Wet Hot American Summer" follows a group of counselors who are each trying to complete their unfinished business before the day ends. The entire summer of pent-up sexual frustrations, unresolved post-traumatic stress, pending separations and of course, the talent show, all weigh heavily on the minds and groins of counselors and campers alike.
Director
David Wain
Producer
Howard Bernstein
Screenwriter
Michael Showalter, David Wain
Distributor
USA Films
Production Co
Eureka Pictures, North Coast Group
Rating
R (Language|Drug Sequence|Strong Sexual Content)
Genre
Comedy
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 27, 2001, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 12, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$292.1K
Runtime
1h 37m
Sound Mix
Surround, Dolby Stereo
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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