Wet Hot American Summer

Wet Hot American Summer
Theatrical release poster
Directed byDavid Wain
Written by
Produced byHoward Bernstein
Starring
CinematographyBen Weinstein
Edited byMeg Reticker
Music byTheodore Shapiro
Craig Wedren
Production
companies
  • Eureka Pictures
  • North Coast Group
Distributed byUSA Films
Release dates
  • January 23, 2001 (2001-01-23) (Sundance)
  • July 27, 2001 (2001-07-27) (New York City)
Running time
92 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1.8 million
Box office$295,206

Wet Hot American Summer is a 2001 American satirical comedy film directed by David Wain from a screenplay written by Wain and Michael Showalter. The film features an ensemble cast, with Janeane Garofalo and David Hyde Pierce starring alongside Molly Shannon, Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni, Showalter (and various other members of the sketch comedy group The State), Marguerite Moreau, Ken Marino, Michael Ian Black, Zak Orth, A. D. Miles, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper (in his film debut), Marisa Ryan, Kevin Sussman, Joe Lo Truglio, and Elizabeth Banks.

It takes place during the last full day at a fictional summer camp in 1981, and spoofs the sex comedies aimed at teen audiences of that era.

The film was a critical and commercial failure, but has since developed a cult following, and many of its cast members have gone on to high-profile work. Netflix revived the franchise with the release of an eight-episode prequel series starring most of the film's original cast, on July 31, 2015; and an eight-episode sequel series, set ten years after the original film, on August 4, 2017.