It’s summertime and it’s hot! We as Americans hold a certain mythos about this season. It is the time when school is out, the sun is shining, outdoor activities abound, and steamy summer romances take place. There is also, of course, the summer camp – which holds an important place in the world of cinema. I have no idea to what extent any of the stereotypes and depictions of these camps are true – I only ever went to Scout Camp as an awkward teenage boy with my fellow awkward teenage friends. Other summer camps sounded like fun, though, but I was far too awkward to have had any place in the shenanigans that take place if today’s subject is any indication of reality.
I, however, doubt the realism of Camp Firewood in the film Wet Hot American Summer – although it is the best summer camp movie out there. It is the last day of camp, and being that the camp’s group of counselors are incredibly high-sexed, this represents the last opportunity for any of them to hook up. Amidst all the flirting and attempts to get laid, camp director Beth (Janeane Garofalo) struggles to keep everything in line while herself falling in love with a neighboring astrophysicist (David Hyde Pierce) – who has to save the camp from a falling satellite headed directly for the camp! Directed by David Wains and co-starring in early roles such figures as Molly Shannon, Paul Rudd Bradley Cooper, Amy Poehler, Judah Friedlander, and much much more.
Wet Hot American Summer plays tomorrow, Saturday, June 18, at midnight at Baxter Avenue Theaters. For complete details, see the Baxter Avenue Theater website.
Image: IMDB
