"WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER"-DVD (reviewed by OG)

I actually saw MEATBALLS (The Bill Murray summer camp flick that spawned WAY too many sequels) when I was a kid, and to tell ya the truth, I didn't care much for it. Even at the age of 10, I thumbed my nose at the screen, turned to my mom and said "Mother, this film is a travesty of dramatic proportions. It is a hackneyed, cliche-filled piece of chicanery that deserves a prompt and anonymous burial at sea."

My mom then took me to a psychiatrist.

Either way, the barrage of summer camp flicks that followed MEATBALLS' trail stayed within the same range of stupidity. Even the horror films that centered around that very setting came across as bland and forced (Right...like Jason Vorhees was ever scary).

Imagine my surprise, then, when I found myself pissing myself while choking on mad gales of laughter a few minutes into WET HOT AMERICAN SUMMER, David Wain's (of MTV's the STATE) 2001 summer camp parody. The film stars the majority of the STATE's cast, along with Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Molly Shannon, Paul Rudd, and Amy Poehler (from the UPRIGHT CITIZEN'S BRIGADE comedy troupe). The comedy ranges from toilet to absurd to intelligent, and it will most likely go on to become a cult classic. The plot, which revolves around the last day at summer camp, circa 1981, skewers the usual summer camp flick offerings: the guy in love with the untouchable girl, the cool rebel dude, and of course...sex, sex, sex. Gay sex is included. High points include dialogue from a bitter Vietnam vet/Camp cook, a hilarious van accident, and an on-target depiction of the outcasts that litter the camp (D and D and The Cure, anyone?).

The DVD comes armed with a neat behind-the-scenes featurette, a funny-as-shit deleted scenes reel (why they cut out the corn bit is beyond me), a director's commentary, and some random comments from cast members.

The movie alone, however, is worth the price.

(1.27.02)