Mike reviews the latest Netflix series.
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| "Good thing we wore deodorant today." |
Bradley
Cooper. Amy Poehler. Paul Rudd. Elizabeth Banks. These are just a few of the
names listed pretty far down in the credits of the 2001 film Wet Hot
American Summer. At the time of the film's release, Janeane Garofalo and
David Hyde-Pierce had their names atop the marquee, and the rest of the cast
was filled in by quite a few very game up-and-coming actors and comedians. Many
of these were close personal friends of writer-director David Wain, co-creator
of the sketch comedy TV series The State and Stella. Though the
film was initially a box office failure, it gained a cult following on home
video, a following that grew as many of the original cast members' stars rose.
The film's 10th anniversary came and went quietly, though the stars continued
to field questions about a reunion many were certain would never come.
Finally, in
2014, Wain announced that we'd soon be returning to Camp Firewood, in the form
of a TV series on Netflix. Naturally, the question on everyone's minds was
"Would EVERYONE be back?" After all, many of the relatively unknown
young actors had gone on to do some pretty big things, earning Oscar and Emmy
nominations and starring in blockbuster films. Even Wain himself had gone
Hollywood, directing films like Role Models and Wanderlust. Fans
of the original film will be relieved to know that the entire original adult
cast has returned to Camp Firewood. Plus they've brought some new friends
along.
The series
is actually a prequel to the original movie, set on the first day of the season
that concludes in the film. Which is more or less the joke, as actors in their '30s and '40s are now playing the same teenagers we saw 12 years ago. Remarkably,
most of them have aged pretty well. It's not difficult to see why everyone
wanted to come back, as the entire cast appears to be having a blast reprising
their roles. The newcomers fit in pretty nicely as well, and some (who this
reviewer won't fully reveal) even get to have some pretty significant roles.
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| "Boy, I hope those Limitless pills help me remember how to play this song." |
The 8
episode series has a surprisingly complex overarching plot (several of them,
actually) but still manages to maintain the simple spirit of the film. Being on
Netflix also allows the filmmakers to maintain most of the irreverent humor in
the original. However, this occasionally works against the series. Characters
and situations that thrived in a 90-minute film get stretched a bit thin when
expanded across 8 half-hour episodes of a TV series. The series also forsakes
some of the twisted randomness of the film in favor of sticking with the larger
narratives. The cameos are fun but some feel a bit shoehorned in and
distracting, as if the characters were created as an excuse to include the
actors. Still, most of what made the original so much fun is back, which is all
any of us could have asked for.
Wet Hot
American Summer: First Day of Camp isn't perfect. The format of a TV series forces
it to stick a bit too rigidly to its storylines, and the viewer can't help but
think about what might have been. But there's still a lot of satisfying fun to
be had at Camp Firewood. Everyone involved is game and having a great time, and
because of this so does the viewer. It may not be the Camp Firewood that we
remember, but it's still a pretty fun and satisfying First Day of Camp.
And hopefully it won't be the last day we get to spend there.
SCORE
-Mike Stec
