All Rise...

Judge Erich Asperschlager is no Ruth Buzzi.

The Charge

"I'm gonna go fondle my sweaters."

Opening Statement

Critics don't always get it right. Sometimes it takes time to realize a movie you praised to the heavens was just okay, or that a movie you raked over the cinematic coals was better than you thought. Sometimes, the critical community gets a movie so wrong it takes years to come around. I'm sure not all of the critics who slammed Wet Hot American Summer would retract what they wrote back in 2001, but there's still time for the penitent few to find their way over to the right side of history.

Bad reviews are nothing new to co-writers David Wain and Michael Showalter and company. Before Wet Hot American Summer, there was MTV's The State, a sketch comedy series the Daily News wrote was "so terrible it deserves to be studied" (I know because the quote is on the back of The State t-shirt I'm wearing right now). Just last year it was the tone deaf reception to their hilarious rom-com send up They Came Together. And smack dab in the middle of Wain and Showalter's misunderstood career was Wet Hot American Summer—a film that may not be for everyone, but is recognized as a stone cold comedy classic by those who understand the brilliance in its apparent stupidity.

Facts of the Case

It's 1981, the last day of the Summer at Camp Firewood in rural Maine. One last chance to make memories, play pranks, prep for the big talent show, and find that special someone. For camp director Beth (Janeane Garofalo) that means breaking the ice with a neighboring astrophysicist (David Hyde Pierce). For camp Lothario, Victor (Ken Marino) that means ditching a mandatory rafting trip to hook up with gum-enthusiast Abby (Marisa Ryan). For shy counselor "Coop" (Michael Showalter) that means trying to win beauty Katie (Marguerite Moreau) away from her beast of a lifeguard boyfriend (Paul Rudd).

The Evidence

My first introduction to Wet Hot American Summer was as "The State movie." It has the same sense of surreal humor as the sketch show and features a lot of the same cast. There are similarities to Monty Python's leap to feature films, with bite-sized scenes and running gags. But Wet Hot isn't a sketch movie. Stories weave in and out over the course of what has to be the longest day on screen that doesn't end with Jack Bauer killing a terrorist. Campers, counselors, and an anthropomorphic can of vegetables split up, pair off, and meet up again in the mess hall, at the waterfront, and in a camp-wide game of capture the flag. The movie captures the rhythm of camp, packing a season's worth of fun into one improbable day.

Wet Hot American Summer is made in the style of an '80s summer camp movie, but it isn't a direct parody. The jokes don't require having seen a lot of camp movies. There are no random pop culture references or stunt casting. If you go into the film expecting a Zucker Abrams Zucker parody, you'll be disappointed. It has more in common with the films of Edgar Wright, taking cues from a genre without being a slave to past movies in the genre—all while being a top-shelf standalone entry in that genre. It's an impressive feat.

Wet Hot American Summer isn't paced like most modern comedies. There are frantic, over-the-top sequences—like a drug-fueled trip into town, or rafting trip that spawns a motorcycle chase—but it mostly takes its time, focusing on characters and leaving room for subtle and not-so-subtle jokes to breathe. Its large cast, retro setting, and single-day structure make it more Dazed and Confused than Not Another [Kill Me Now] Movie. There's even room for scenes not played for laughs. The gay relationship between the characters of Ben and McKinley is matter-of-fact, sweet, and more progressive than pretty much anything else in movie comedy.

Watching Wet Hot American Summer in 2015 is like flipping through a yearbook of soon-to be famous faces. Veteran comedians Janeane Garofalo and David Hyde Pierce join State alums Showalter, Marino, Michael Ian Black, and Joe Lo Truglio, and a host of actors on the verge of hitting it big, including Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Elizabeth Banks, and Christopher Meloni. At the time, the cast was a mishmash of actors who agreed to be in a dumb camp comedy. Flash forward to today, with Netflix bringing everyone back for the prequel series Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp. Getting those same actors together seems like the casting coup of the century.

Wet Hot American Summer arrives on Blu-ray with a strong 1.85:1 1080p transfer that faithfully recreates the film's vintage look. There's a general softness, low contrast, and the rare dirt speck, but it's all in service of the '80s aesthetic. Viewers hoping for a revelatory remaster may be disappointed. The longer you spend with it, though, the better it gets (compare it to the DVD to see just how much better). Color and close-up details are strong, and the image feels like film while avoiding obvious digital tweaking. The 2.0 DTS-HD Master Audio delivers clear dialogue, sound effects, and period music. The mix is stereo-only, but for a low-budget comedy aping the 1980s it gets the job done.

Wet Hot American Summer on Blu-ray includes a wealth of bonus features with two caveats: all but two were previously available on DVD, and the only way to access them here is via the pop-up menu. The ported extras are all in standard definition, and while the two new extras are technically high-def it doesn't really matter since they were filmed during live stage performances. Not a complaint; just set your expectations accordingly:

• "Tenth Anniversary Event Highlights" (31:33): The first of the Blu-ray specific extras has Showalter, Wain, and Black moderating a ten-year celebration in front of a live audience, with interviews and sketches starring actors from the film, many in character and one as a can of vegetables.

• "Wet Hot American Summer: Live at San Francisco Sketchfest" (44:17): Selected scenes from a live reading of the script with a mix of original castmembers and special guest performers, including David Cross, Busy Philipps, Jay Baruchel, Colin Hanks, Bruce McCulloch, Gillian Jacobs, and John Hodgman in the role he was born to play.

• Audio commentary with director/co-writer David Wain, co-writer Michael Showalter, and actress Janeane Garofalo: The trio have a fun and funny chat, looking back on the experience of making the movie during the cold, rainy Spring of 2000. The commentary includes plenty of neat bits of trivia, including the fact that they shot the film at a camp in Honesdale, PA a mere nine miles from the Summer camp where I was working at the exact same time! (Note: the latter half of that fact isn't actually mentioned in the commentary.)

• Deleted Scenes (12:09): Available with and without director commentary, this collection of excised material suggests a different, often raunchier version of the film.

• "Cast Comments" (8:03): Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Molly Shannon, Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni, Marguerite Moreau, Michael Showalter, and David Wain sound off on the film and their fellow actors.

• "Behind the Scenes" (15:39): Candid handheld footage from the shoot. Worth watching to see just how rainy it really was.

• Songs with Production Stills: "Wet Hot American Dream" (3:10), "Summer in America" (3:47), "Wet Hot American Summer" (2:22), "Higher and Higher" (1:30)

• "Soundtrack with Extra Farts": Exactly what it sounds like.

• Theatrical Trailer (1:51)

Closing Statement

Ignore the unhappy campers who knocked Wet Hot American Summer back in 2001. The movie has only blossomed since release, building to the point where fans are getting a brand new spinoff series and an impressive Blu-ray release. Sure, most of the extras here are ported over from the DVD, but that release was impressive, too. The two new bonus features are a celebration of the film and its fans, and the jump to high-def means Wet Hot American Summer has never looked better. I'd tell you to run out and pick up a copy, but I'm guessing you did that eight paragraphs ago.

The Verdict

Wet Not Guilty American Summer!

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