Here’s another treat for Wet Hot American Summer fans, just in case the Netflix prequel series wasn’t enough: Hurricane of Fun: The Making of Wet Hot is now available. Thanks to set photographer Amy Rice, the documentary gives us a behind-the-scenes look at the original cult classic. Amplify Releasing released the film on iTunes and other digital platforms including Netflix, today.
A low-budget indie flick, Wet Hot was the debut for filmmakers David Wain and Michael Showalter and its cast was full of largely unknown actors. In the fifteen years since, though, many of the movie’s stars have skyrocketed to fame, including Bradley Cooper, Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, and more. Knowing what we know now, it’s hilarious to see the then-newbie actors discuss the film.
“Don’t put my head on a naked Alyssa Milano’s body,” quips Poehler in the documentary, ironically naming an actress whose star power she’s since surpassed. Also entertaining is hearing Bradley Cooper share that he just graduated two days before arriving at the shoot. “Having the opportunity to work on a film was something I would jump at,” he says. Paul Rudd weighs in as well, joking, “If I could not find another job, I would like to be on this film.”
It was all but a given that the cast had a blast filming the original, hence their willingness to sign on for the Netflix prequel all these years later, and the footage confirms it. “This has been by far the wildest shoot that I’ve ever been on,” Poehler tells the camera. “Basically because we’re at a camp with no rules and now we’re all in our 30s, so we really know how to party.”
It’s the perfect movie to watch once your Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp binge is over. Amplify Releasing secured the worldwide distribution rights and quickly made the documentary available, for which we’re quite grateful.
Check out the trailer for Hurricane of Fun: The Making of Wet Hot below.
