<P> Wet Hot American Summer is a 2001 American satirical comedy film directed by David Wain from a screenplay written by Wain and Michael Showalter . The film features an ensemble cast, including Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Molly Shannon, Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni, Michael Showalter (and various other members of MTV's sketch comedy group The State), Elizabeth Banks, Ken Marino, Michael Ian Black, Bradley Cooper, Amy Poehler, Zak Orth, and A.D. Miles . The film takes place during the last full day at a fictional summer camp in 1981, and spoofs the sex comedies aimed at teen audiences of that era . </P> <P> The film was a critical and commercial failure, but has since developed a cult following, as many of its cast members have gone on to high - profile work . Netflix released an eight - episode prequel series starring most of the film's original cast on July 31, 2015 . An eight - episode sequel series, set ten years after the original film, was released on August 4, 2017 . </P> <P> In 1981, Camp Firewood, a summer camp located near Waterville, Maine, is preparing for its last day of camp . Counselors have one last chance to have a romantic encounter with another person at Camp Firewood . The summer culminates in a talent show . </P> <P> Beth (Janeane Garofalo), the camp director, struggles to keep her counselors in order--and her campers alive--while falling in love with Henry (David Hyde Pierce), an astrophysics associate professor at Colby College . Henry has to devise a plan to save the camp from a piece of NASA's Skylab, which is falling to Earth . </P>

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