'Wet Hot American Summer': Reasons for and against its return
Jan 11, 2015 | 12:56PM
Earlier this week, my ping notifications lit up with the force of a camp bonfire at the news that Netflix will be releasing a Wet Hot American Summer series. People wanted to let me know because for the last fourteen years, I have made it clear to anyone who will listen that Wet Hot American Summer, the original 2001 film, is my favorite film of all time.
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It's not just that I subjectively prefer Wet Hot American Summer above all other films. It changed me. It changed me in that I started seeking out more independent films. I don't just find the movie funny; I am constantly amazed at how it subverts traditional ideas of comedy. After seeing WHAS, I knew that it was imperative that writing comedy, performing comedy, and writing about comedy be a part of my life. I know calling it "life-changing" is trite, but it's true.
I could write a dissertation on Wet Hot American Summer. I can perform the whole film verbatim as a one-person show. This is why my friends couldn't wait to make sure I heard the news about the Netflix show. They were sure I would be overjoyed. The truth is, I'm not.
Reasons Against:
I'm not unhappy per se; I'm just hesitant. When you love something so much, common sense tells you that you should want more of it. However, when something is so perfect, there's a big risk in not living up to the original masterpiece. I had this fear when the fourth season of Arrested Development was released on Netflix, and unfortunately, it was a letdown.
Wet Hot American Summer did not succeed in its initial release, but in the cult following it eventually garnered. Will original writers/creators David Wain and Michael Showalter feel pressured to deliver to the fans, rather than creating their own vision for the series? Is there really any distinction between the two? Will the show take the same comedy risks? In the film, Showalter's character Coop says goodbye to a group of people and then walks to a building and stands with his face up to the wall, not moving. It's so weird and surreal and fantastic, but makes no sense. Will the series have the same spirit, or will its comedy be more accessible?
Reasons For:
The series is rumored to be a prequel rather than a sequel. A prequel leaves our visions of what happens after the original film up to our original conclusion, which we've had time to accept. In fact, during the credits of the film, there's a short scene that takes place 20 years in the future that tells us everything we need to know about the characters. It's a great pin at the end of the film that shouldn't be altered. Anything that happens in the prequel will not alter the events of the first film, leaving it to its perfection.
In the film, the 30-something actors were playing teenage camp counselors, assumed to be 16 or 17 years old. In this series, the now 40-something actors will be playing even younger children, which alone is hilarious.
David Wain, director and writer, has gone on to produce films films (like the underappreciated Role Models and Wanderlust) with more mainstream appeal, and he's done so without losing the essence of the comedy that he and the former members of The State have been making since the early '90s. He's a talented director and writer with an obvious fondness for the WHAS cast, many of whom have appeared in his work.
And any excuse for Paul Rudd to do more physical comedy is always welcome.
Burning Questions:
Will we get to see how Bradley Cooper's Ben began his secret affair with McKinley (Michael Ian Black)?
Will we learn why Silas (Jake Fogelnest) broke into the office and filmed himself masturbating?
Is Assistant Professor Newman (David Hyde Pierce) only an assistant professor because he can't get tenure?
Where did Beth (Amy Poehler) get her musical theater degree?
How did standup comedian Alan Shemper get his start in comedy?
How did Gail (Molly Shannon) and Ron fall in love?
What's Gene's origin story?
There's a lot riding on this series for rabid admirers of the film. We'll be watching.
Wet Hot American Summer will air sometime in 2015 on Netflix.