‘Wet Hot’: 2015 remake of 2001 movie set in 1981
Can we be nostalgic for nostalgia itself? The new eight-episode comedy “Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp” begins streaming on Netflix today. It is extremely impressive and entirely ephemeral.
The 2001 indie comedy “Wet Hot American Summer” was rather remarkable for its cast of both known and up-and-coming talent, its abject silliness and the fact that just about nobody went to see it. A spoof of raunchy, low-budget, coming-of-age sex comedies from the early 1980s, “Wet Hot” more than succeeded in parodying the sensibilities of comedies made with a fraction of the budget of “Porky’s.” Perhaps that’s why it ended up becoming a minor cult hit seen primarily on DVD — mostly rented from the “old” Netflix model.
Its cast at the time, too enormous to entirely appreciate here, included relatively well-known performers David Hyde Pierce, Molly Shannon, Christopher Meloni, Paul Rudd and Michael Ian Black, as well as such emerging talents as Amy Poehler and Bradley Cooper.
They’ve all returned for this prequel, along with many guest appearances, including Jon Hamm and John Slattery of “Mad Men” fame, Kristen Wiig, Chris Pine and others.
Most of the cast members were too old to play camp counselors and staff in 2001. And that was half the fun. Now they are playing similar roles, but looking almost 15 years older. Some are “enhanced” by wigs, adding to the absurdity. If the sight of 40-somethings playing oversexed youth isn’t jarring enough, many of the gags are slow and understated and painfully obvious. This blends oddly with the strenuous overacting of the cast of unknowns playing the young campers.
“Wet Hot” is best appreciated as a cast reunion. And you have to appreciate its goofy egalitarianism. After four Oscar nominations and starring roles in blockbusters like “Guardians of the Galaxy” and “The Hangover” franchise, you could imagine Bradley Cooper had bigger fish to fry. But he’s here, as is Paul Rudd, who’s starring in “Ant-Man,” the biggest movie in America at the moment.
That said, “Wet Hot” also has a slightly decadent, you-had-to-bethere quality. As I recently said of IFC’s “Spoils” miniseries parodies, these star-studded efforts have become 21st-century versions of Dean Martin’s roasts. The celebrities are having a lot of fun with one another on-screen. Entertaining an audience seems secondary.
There aren’t a lot of laughs here, but there are nearly as many cameos as in a “Sharknado” movie. And in today’s social media climate, that may the most important measure of success.
TONIGHT’S HIGHLIGHTS
It’s not just about Beverly Hills and movie stars. “Atlanta Plastic” (10 p.m., Lifetime, TV-14) follows three plastic surgeons who serve a largely African-American clientele.
A debt collector’s murder offers many possible suspects on “Elementary” (8 p.m., CBS, repeat, TV-PG).
Marlon Wayans guest-judges on “America’s Got Talent” (8 p.m., NBC, repeat, TV-PG).
Homegrown talent on “Shark Tank” (8 p.m., ABC, repeat, TV-PG).
A grim killing yields a strange suspect on “Defiance” (8 p.m., Syfy, TV-14).
Candid cameras capture strangers mulling ethical dilemmas on “What Would You Do?” (9 p.m., ABC).
Young pianists compete on “Virtuosity: The Cliburn” (10 p.m., PBS, TV-G).
Mysterious memories on “Killjoys” (9 p.m., Syfy, TV-14).
A protected witness becomes key to a case on “Blue Bloods” (10 p.m., CBS, repeat, TV-14).
Six falls under suspicion on “Dark Matter” (10 p.m., Syfy, TV-14).
Family dinners on “MasterChef” (8 p.m., Fox, repeat, TV-PG).