Cheap Wet Hot American Summer (Video) (Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce) (David Wain) Price

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Customer Reviews of Wet Hot American Summer

One of THE most underrated movies of 2001!
I had heard good things about this movie when it was at Sundance, but it seemed bypass the Chicago are almost entirely. So I rented the DVD, and this movie was hilarious. It's a shame that movies like American Pie 2 and Dung Pow (or whatever that awful-looking Martial Arts movie is called) are considered 'daring' and 'edgy' because of a few gross-out gags and little else. This movie was edgier and more daring than any comedy I've seen since the classic "Where's Poppa". It is most simply a parody of early 80's summer camp flicks, but it also has a bizarre, absurdist genius to it all it's own. Not every gag works, but it has enough unforgettable lines and sequences to ensure it's eventual evolution into true cult classic. The cast is all great, but the best is Chris Melloni (of Oz and Law & Order SVU) who is freakishly hilarious in his role as the camp cook. You don't just have to be a fan of MTV's the State to enjoy this as I have never seen the show. This film won't be for everyone, but I have a feeling that a lot of reviewers who hate the film are missing the fact that this isn't just a by-the-numbers parody like Scary Movie and even lesser pieces of garbage. It is more of a masterpiece of genuine insanity that I really believe will gain favour as the years pass. Along with Jack Nicholson's The Pledge (as different a film from this as you can get) this is truly one of the films that got away in 2001. Don't miss your chance now (and be sure to check out the deleted scenes; Melloni has some great bits that shouldn't have been cut).

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A Talking Can of Vegetables
I'm am still confused about this movie, it's flirts with genius but never actually commits. You may wonder whether or not the jokes are irreverent or just stupid, I think it depends on the viewer. If you're too smart the jokes are beneath you but, if you are a fool the myriad of pop culture references and homages will leave you befuddled. For such a large cast there are surprisingly few recognizable names and faces. Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce and Molly Shannon are the only people you may every see outside of this movie. One subplot that is successful in its lunacy is the camp cook who is made to be a sendup of Deer Hunter era Deniro. He mutters violently to campers and his best friend is a can of talking mixed vegetables voiced by the completely brilliant Jon Benjamin (Dr. Katz, Home Movies). If you really want a laugh don't bother watching this movie with the normal dialogue, save yourself the time and watch it with the bonus audio track of Garofalo, the writer and the director, trust me it's way funnier.

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this camp is a little bit coo-coo, if you get my drift
Paul Rudd (Anchorman, The Object Of My Affections), Janeane Garafalo (Copland, Minus Man), David Hyde Pierce(Tv's Fraiser, Osmosis Jones), Michael Ian Black (Tv's Ed, Tv's Viva Variety), Amy Poehler (Tv's Upright Citizens Brigade, Tv's SNL), Christopher Meloni (Tv's Law and Order SVU, Tv's Oz), Molly Shannon (Superstar, Osmosis Jones) and Marguerite Moreau (Queen Of The Damned) head an allstar cast in this satire about life on the last day of camp. The cast do some funny things. Meloni, the camp cook, has an inspiring speech towards the end about wiping mud on his ass and humping a fridge and also when he is talking to canned goods. Pierce and Garofalo are a perfect match for each other. Michael Ian Black has never been more funnier playing a kid who is gay and gets married in the lake and Paul Rudd plays Moreau's jealous boyfriend. Though sometimes crude and tasteless jokes weigh it down, it springs back up with a lot of heart.