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USA Home Video presentsWet Hot American Summer
(2001)
Lindsay: Hey, what're you writing on?Andy: My gournal. I write my thoughts in it every day.Lindsay: Oh, you mean a journal.Andy: Yeah, whatever. Guess I'm not all smart like you.- Elizabeth Banks, Paul Rudd
Stars: Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Molly Shannon, Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni, Michael Showalter
Other Stars: Marguerite Moreau, Ken Marino, Michael Ian Black, Zak Orth, A.D. Miles, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Marisha Ryan, Kevin Sussman, Joe Lo Truglio, Elizabeth Banks
Director: David Wain
MPAA Rating: R for strong sexual content, language, and a drug sequence
Run Time: 01h:36m:22s
Release Date: 2002-01-15
Genre: comedy
Style Grade |
Substance Grade | Image Transfer Grade | Audio Transfer Grade |
Extras Grade |
---|---|---|---|---|
A- | A- | B+ | B- | B+ |
DVD Review
Wet Hot American Summer is equal parts parody and absurdist sketch-comedy. The target seems to be trashy teen movies from the late 1970s and early '80s—mindless, formulaic pap like Meatballs, G.O.R.P., Porky's, Midnight Madness, and even the familiar formula of The Bad News Bears—brainless comedies consisting mostly of strung together stock characters and "titillating" nudity gags. Co-writers David Wain and Michael Showalter dissect these films, though they seem already so inane as to be self-parodying, and when viewed through the skewed perspectives of these two oddballs, the material becomes transcendent. Wet Hot American Summer is not just a spoof, but an inspired deconstruction of an entire generation of films and moviegoers, the last gasp of "innocent" humor before the teen comedy became equivalent with irony (a.k.a. John Hughes). All this, and a scene where a grown man humps a fridge. I know, I know. It all begins on August 18, 1981, the last day of summer camp, but the plot is impossible to describe (and largely inconsequential). We follow the adventures of the camp counselors as they move throughout the day, and what's brilliant about the screenplay is the way Showalter and Wain manage to balance about five different storylines, each taking on the flavor of a different, oddly familiar teen movie cliché. There's Coop (Showalter), the nice guy in love with the nice girl, Katie (Moreau), who of course only has eyes for the hot bad boy (Paul Rudd, in a glorious, scene-stealing performance). There's the romance between camp director Beth (Garofalo) and timid teacher Henry (Pierce). There's the unpopular, nerdy group of campers ("the 'indoor' kids") who are called on to save the day with science. And the horny trio always watching the girls, and the self-conscious stud looking to get laid, and on and on. These segments are funny because they follow familiar conventions, but also because, in doing so, they illustrate the way that these situations, once the stuff of "raunchy" teen films, seem almost quaint in hindsight—take the scenes where the "let's go to town" montage turns into a binge of muggings, drinking, and drugs, proving how tame the 1980s were by jaded 2001 standards. Not since The Brady Bunch Movie has a satire so effectively deconstructed its source material. Pretensions aside, Wet Hot American Summer works because it is an uproarious comedy. Standout bits include Chris Meloni as the frazzled camp cook, a Vietnam vet who isn't all there. It is he who does the aforementioned fridge-humping, but not before he terrorizes his fellow counselors and converses with a talking can of mixed vegetables. Molly Shannon is surprisingly funny as an emotional arts and crafts counselor who uses her campers as therapy. And Garofalo and Pierce, playing their characters as earnest and sincere to the max, are equally funny and, somehow, sweet: even this film is not devoid of heart.I'm of the opinion that nothing is more subjective than humor; and certainly, certainly, this one is not for all tastes. But here's the barometer: is it funny that Meloni, trying to unite young lovers, gives Showalter a Flashdance-style makeover, turning him into "Super Coop," which means, basically, that he's the same guy with a headband and a cutoff belly shirt? If no, why? Rent it anyway.Rating for Style: A-
Rating for Substance: A-
Image Transfer
One | |
---|---|
Aspect Ratio | 1.85:1 - Widescreen |
Original Aspect Ratio | yes |
Anamorphic | yes |
Image Transfer Review: WHAS looks surprisingly good for a low budget film. Overall, fine detail is very good, though a few scenes look somewhat soft. Colors look bright and saturated for the most part. Some aliasing shows in just one or two shots, but no artifacts are visible. Surprisingly, grain isn't much of a problem, nor is print damage in general. Black level is adequate, and shadow detail is above average. A nice presentation of limiting materials.
Image Transfer Grade: B+
Audio Transfer
Language | Remote Access | |
---|---|---|
DS 2.0 | English | no |
Audio Transfer Review: Audio is presented in English stereo only, but I doubt a 5.1 mix would've made much of a difference anyway. Dialogue is very strongly presented for the most part, but at times, ADR betrays itself with somewhat unnatural placement in the mix. The rock soundtrack fills out the front soundstage, sounds clear, and is well integrated into the mix. There are a few directional effects across the front soundstage (things breaking offscreen), but nothing major, and the surrounds are totally mute throughout. Overall, this is an adequate mix, if a bit rough at times.
Audio Transfer Grade: B-
Disc Extras
Animated menu with musicScene Access with 12 cues and remote access
Subtitles/Captions in English Closed Captioned Only with remote access
Cast and Crew Biographies
1 Original Trailer(s)
27 Deleted Scenes
1 Alternate Endings
Production Notes
1 Documentaries
1 Feature/Episode commentary by director/co-writer David Wain, co-writer Michael Showalter, actress Janeane Garofalo
Packaging: Amaray
Picture Disc
1 Disc
1-Sided disc(s)
Layers: dual
Layers Switch: 01h:10m:28s
Extra Extras:
- Cast Comments: Interviews with the Cast
- Songs with Production Stills
- Alternate Soundtrack with Extra Farts
Extras Grade: B+
Final Comments
A combination of parody and outright randomness, Wet Hot American Summer is as funny and ingenious a lightweight comedy as I've seen in quite some time. A great choice for a large get-together, and guaranteed to further endear itself to you with each viewing. Of course, nothing is more subjective than humor, and this picture certainly has its share of detractors. But while they rattle on about how it is sloppy or lowbrow (thanks, Roeper, you can re-watch Shallow Hal instead), I will again bask in the glow of this unsung pop triumph. And whenever I'm sad, all I have to do is think of that lonely Vietnam vet, finding the courage inside himself to be true to his heart—and, yes, hump that fridge!—and I'll know that my heart will go on. Laughing, anyway. Hopefully pumping blood too. Eek.Joel Cunningham 2002-02-08