Okay so one of my favorite movies of all time I'd say is the 2000 classic Wet Hot American Summer. Which, essentially has no plot other than a bunch of teenagers (played by people in their mid to late 30s) at a summer camp. And this cast is THE CAST. If you're a comedy nerd like I am, you can name every person in this movie and what other movies they're from and all their web series and podcasts and which of these other actors have appeared in those web series... the list goes on. But its good.
And its a bonkers ridiculous movie. I can totally get that its not for everyone and the first time you watch it you might be like "what the hell did I just watch" but if you watch it again you'll be like "this is the finest piece of artwork ever formed. I'm going to watch it every day of my life." Or maybe not. Maybe its just another stupid comedy, but for me its kind of a big deal.
So I was excited for the series, and especially excited that not only did the entire cast come back, there were some newcomers to.
Also it should be noted the movie takes place on the last day of camp, this series takes place entirely on the First Day Of Camp. So its a prequel... but a prequel that explains everything and really gives me a greater appreciation for the original.
Elizabeth Banks has a great origin story in this, you get to see the Chemistry between Michael Ian Black and Bradley Cooper... which I'll get to, you see Gail's marriage and how she becomes divorced. You get to see how Chris Meloni's character comes to be. You see the origin of the Can of Vegetables! Every question you wanted explained and some you haven't are explained in this prequel.
Also can I just say for 2 straight men, the chemistry between Bradley Cooper and Michael Ian Black was fantastic. I would go so far as to compare it to the chemistry between Mulder and Scully on The X Files. I feel like I have this huge crush on Michael Ian Black now because he just has this amazing charisma and charm that it would have been impossible for Bradley Cooper not to fall in love with him. It was adorable!
And I guess its just me, but the kids all seemed the same to me too. I know that they would have to be different than the kids from 15 years ago... but they did a good job of making it authentic. Also those kid actors, just as good as the adults. Not boring to watch at all, just really good overall.
I think my favorite joke was when (Spoilers coming... but if you've seen the movie you kinda know how it ends anyway... so its not a big spoiler.) Mitch tells Beth that she'd be such a great director of the camp that by the end of the summer everyone will look 15 years younger. I thought that was really good.
Also the newcomers in this series were good. Particularly I liked Jason Schwartzman a lot... and I just love him in general especially in a good comedy. His delivery just fits perfectly with the show. H. Jon Benjamin, its always great to physically see him because I forget he's not animated... but then he was animated after all... which made me even happier somehow. Randall Park is probably the most underrated star of all. He's so good in this I really hope he comes back next season. And Michael Cera was just great. He's so good at being overly serious to the point where its ridiculous, same with Jon Hamm and John Slattery... they were just all great.
I also liked that it wasn't just the same characters interacting with the same characters. I thought they did a good job of mixing it up a little. I loved Molly Shannon and Chris Meloni together. I also loved that Amy Poehler and Bradley Cooper were in this a little more. And that really impressed me too. There are characters that weren't in the movie too much, but they were in this a lot. And I thought that was pretty great and it was just new and fun to watch. Ohhh and David Wain of corse!
And they did a lot of callbacks and references to the original. You've got barbecue sauce on you, and the diaphragm bit... it was just funny.
I think if you liked the movie, you'll love this show. If you didn't like the movie... I think the tone of the show is a little bit easier to follow and I think it works really well as a series. I think they did an amazing job with everything, and I really hope they make some more. This was awesome!
Thats it! Hope you guys are equally obsessed with this.
Byeeee!
-Shannon
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