Few comedies that hit theaters this century have stood the test of time like “Wet Hot American Summer.” What else lives up to the shenanigans of David Wain and Michael Showalter‘s now-classic take on the final day of a 1980s summer at Camp Firewood? “Anchorman” and “Wedding Crashers” match it, certainly, but it goes without argument that “Wet Hot” is on the Mount Rushmore of 21st-Century American comedies.
READ MORE: 53 Must-See Movies To Watch Summer 2026
No wonder, then, that Focus Features will have the film back in theaters in August to celebrate its 25th anniversary. And as the bit that starts off the new trailer for the re-release suggests, maybe that was Wain and Showalter’s plan all along? Maybe a reunion with “Wet Hot American Summer” isn’t quite as important as this nation’s bicentennial, but seeing this ensemble cast on the bring screen again will be a sweet late-summer treat.
And for fans of the movie, the cast sheet needs no introduction, but we’re gonna do it anyway. Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Elizabeth Banks, and Molly Shannon lead the charge, with Christopher Meloni, Michael Ian Black, Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Ken Marino, Joe Lo Truglio, and Showalter all also making memorable turns.
Wain directs a script by him and Showalter, with Howard Bernstein producing. The film had its world premiere at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, where it failed to find a distributor, before USA Films picked it up later that year for only $100,000. A box-office flop upon release, in just 30 theaters that July, the home video release of “Wet Hot” and word of mouth slowly cemented its cult status that only gets larger as time passes.
“Wet Hot American Summer” returns to theaters nationwide for one week only, starting on August 14 through August 21. Watch the re-release trailer for the comedy below.
