Netflix Has Gotten Wet and Hot — Blue Fairy Film Blog

David Wain has always made me laugh, whether he is having fun with his friends on MTV’s “The State,” or directing some of the most under hyped films of the past several years, including “The Ten,” and “They Came Together.” Luckily Wain had found some great success with Michael Showalter and Michael Ian Black in “Stella,” and he is the creator and star of the web series “Wainy Days.”

Wain's great triumph, and his first directorial film, was “Wet Hot American Summer,” a parody of summer camp movies like “Meatballs,” and “Indian Summer.” What Wain understood was that to have a true homage you have to respect and understand the source material. That’s why this film is not only a spoof, but another in a long line of camp films. While the film didn’t do great at the box office it became a cult classic, and plays on television almost every day, especially Comedy Central. Recently this fervor has been incorporated in a new prequel series on Netflix, created by Wain and Showalter. The show deals with the first day of camp, rather than the last day like the film.

To accompany the show there’s also, on Netflix, a documentary about the behind the scenes shenanigans of former cast mates called “Hurricane of Fun: The Making of Wet Hot.” Each has its merits and emotional ties, especially for those who loved the film. The question remains, how do all these incarnations stack up, and which makes you the hottest, or wettest?

“Wet Hot American Summer” (2001)

The original film is definitely goofy, but it also tries to encapsulate the feeling of being at summer camp, and all the teenage angst and lust that accompanies it. The actors, though a little older, do look like seventeen-year-olds and deal with teenaged issues like: losing one’s virginity, crushes, bullies, crazed adults, camp games, and dealing with the stereotypes of nerds, flirts, and rebels.

What has driven it in popularity may be the stellar cast, which includes Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Elizabeth Banks, Bradley Cooper, Amy Poehler, and Christopher Meloni. Most, if not all, have gone on to do everything from hosting the Golden Globes to being awarded Oscar nominations. There was some improvisation, but more importantly there was a great script from Wain and a general camaraderie from the cast. It lends to some great performances that make you nostalgic for childhood and excited for summer. Besides understanding tropes each character was their own entity, making for memorable characters that make for a great prequel.

“Hurricane of Fun: The Making of Wet Hot” (2015)

This is a good film to watch before either re-watching the original film or watching the show. It only teases parts of the plot, so you can remember some key scenes, while also making you remember the original spirit of the film. It’s great to see a lot of really famous, super talented people in their early days, some of whom were making their first film. Bradley Cooper for instance, missed his acting school graduation to make this film, his very first time on a set.

Most of the behind the scenes action comes from people goofing around, improving, giving each other fake interviews, and lamenting the heavy rains and difficult shooting schedules. A lot of actors’ parents come on-set and talk about their children’s talents, all with tears glowing in their eyes. There are stories, anecdotes, and a general openness that comes from the improvisational comedy that many of these people perform.

Since this film many of the people involved have come back and worked with Wain on other films, especially Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler. It’s strange that we now have this little look back to what is considered the beginning for a lot of these people, some of whom were already big, or eventually made it big. There’s a lot of passion and love between everyone on set that makes you want to get some friends together and make your own movie.

“Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp” (2015)

It’s good to know the film inside and out, but it’s not mandatory. There are a lot of strange decisions, great cameos, and references to the original film that make it worth seeing for its own merit. Pretty much everyone comes back for this show, and play the same characters but in a vulnerable, innocent way. Some things have definitely changed, because this is set all the way back to the beginning of camp, eight weeks prior. Katie (Moreau) is a dating a rich boy from across the lake, Coop (Showalter) is enamored with the beautiful Donna (Bell), and Beth (Garofalo) is pining over her former lover Mitch (Benjamin) who has fallen into toxic waste and become a tin can that talks.

The original film mostly played it straight except with some goofy asides, like when the group goes into town and does coke and robs old ladies, or when Skylab starts to fall to earth. In this show almost everything is that out of control. Gene is now Jonas (Meloni) a straight laced cook without any of the strange characteristics of the Vietnam vet from the previous film. He is set to marry Gayle (Shannon) but between the nuclear waste being spilled by the government, a conspiracy in the works, and the Falcon (Hamm) coming to kill them all, he is unleashed once more.

Though it’s set in the past, it feels like a lot of people are older, wiser, better equipped to deal with the ravages of camp. Still, there’s something so fresh and different from the movie as well. Everyone should find something to love in this prequel, especially those who have fallen for all the regular cast members in recent years.