Over the years, I’ve watched Wet Hot American Summer more times than I can count. Seriously, it has to be dozens of times between random bits on cable or multiple screenings with my wife over the years. I recently went back and rewatched the iconic summer camp movie about the final day of Camp Firewood’s 1981 season, and there are so many random thoughts I can’t get out of my head.

From the absurdity of David Wain’s semi-autobiographical R-rated comedy to the outrageously talented cast to the fact that Paul Rudd hasn’t aged since 2001, there’s a lot to unpack here.

It's Crazy How Many Of The Actors Became Massive Stars

Watching Wet Hot American Summer in 2025 is a wild experience, and not just because this movie is straight-up bonkers. I mean, just look at the cast. You’ve got everyone from The State who’ve gone on to find success, but also Bradley Cooper and Amy Poehler are in the mix, both of whom have become top A-listers since the film’s release.

Andy Killed At Least Four Kids, Right?

Paul Rudd’s Andy is probably the most non-Paul Rudd character the actor has ever given us. Not only is he sassy, sulky, annoying, and flaky, but he also killed at least four kids – two from drowning and two by throwing them out of a van at a high rate of speed. Dude is a menace!

The 'Going Into Town' Scene Is The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Whenever I go back to watch Wet Hot American Summer, the scene I always look forward to the most is the “Going Into Town” sequence. It starts off harmless enough, but quickly devolves into a manic, depressing, and incredibly dark few minutes.

'It's Always Fun To Get Away From Camp, Even For An Hour' Kills Me

One thing I love about the “Town” sequence is when the counselors come back from robbing old ladies, stealing sixers, and joining a Trainspotting situation, it’s revealed they were only gone for an hour.

I Still Can't Figure Out How Old The Counselors Are Supposed To Be

I’m not talking about the Wet Hot American Summer: First Day at Camp miniseries years after the movie’s release, where the cast didn’t care how old they looked. This is more of an honest question. Are the counselors adults? Teenagers? Both? It’s all over the place here.

Wet Hot American Summer Takes All The Best Camp Movie Tropes And Mashes Them Together For A Gonzo Experience

Wet Hot American Summer takes movies like Meatballs, Ernest Goes to Camp, and countless others, combines them, and spits out some gonzo amalgamation of those classics. It’s off-kilter, and that’s what makes it so weird and fun.

I Still Don't Understand How Henry And The Nerdy Kids Were Going To Change Skylab's Path, But I'll Allow It

Alan Shemper (Michael Showalter) with his standup routine at the Camp Talent Show is great in Wet Hot American Summer, but it’s the response from the campers and counselors that makes it so ridiculous. The exaggerated laughter just gets crazier and crazier as his routine continues.

I Still Don't Understand How Henry And The Nerdy Kids Change Skylab's Path, But I'll Allow It

There are so many random subplots in Wet Hot American Summer, and one of the most bonkers is the one involving ASSOCIATE Professor Henry Newman (David Hyde Pierce) and a group of nerds trying to prevent a piece of Skylab from falling on the camp. I don’t get it, and I think that’s the point.

But Was That Steve Who Saved The Day With His Weather Manipulation?

Henry and company might have had a hand in saving the camp, but I totally think it was Steve (Kevin Sussman) and his wind manipulation that stopped the piece of space junk from falling on the talent show.

'You Taste Like A Burger' Is The Most Ridiculous Way Of Breaking Up With Someone

Andy and Lindsay (Elizabeth Banks) have a budding romance in Wet Hot American Summer until the annoying counselor tells his make-out buddy that she tastes like a burger before calling things off. Ice cold!

I Can't Get Over The Fact That Chris Meloni Was In Wet Hot American Summer, Law & Order SVU, and Oz At The Same Time

At a single point in the early 21st century, Christopher Meloni was playing Gene the cook in Wet Hot American Summer, Chris Keller on Oz, and Elliot Stabler on Law & Order: SVU. I have nothing to add; this is just wild to think about.

Victor's Arc Is Both Hilarious And Heartbreaking, But Mostly Hilarious

Ken Marino’s Victor in Wet Hot American Summer has perhaps the film’s most over-the-top, hilarious, and heartbreaking arc, especially after going from thinking he was going to hook up with a girl to wrecking a van to running back to camp to nearly dying in the woods to finding said girl with another guy. At least he has great hair.

I Love The Fact That The "9, 9:30" Reunion Joke Paid Off 16 Years Later In The Netflix Series

There’s a great scene where the counselors talk about getting back together 10 years later, which they do in the 2017 Netflix miniseries, where they do the greatest thing ever by acknowledging the joke from long ago.

Paul Rudd Playing A Sassy Teenager Is Just Too Good Here

Paul Rudd’s Andy isn’t the most likable character. Heck, he’s not even Rudd’s best role. However, the Clueless actor perfectly pulled off the sassy, arrogant, and rude teenager better than just about anyone else.

Beth Waiting 10 Seconds To Meet Henry At The Picnic Table Is Such A Great Yet Overlooked Moment

Anyone who knows me knows that I love a good time-based bit, and Wet Hot American Summer features an all-time great when Henry tells Beth (Janeane Garofalo) to wait around 10 seconds before walking over to him. And she does. It’s silly, it’s unnecessary, and it’s hilarious.

Seriously, The Number Of Kids In Peril Here Is Wild

Kids driving motorboats, kids getting thrown out of cars, kids almost getting crushed by space junk, the movie has it all… including a group of kids on a river trip by themselves that ends with them going over a cliff.

The Motorcycle Chase Scene Is Just Too Much, And I Love It

Neil (Joe Lo Truglio) chasing Victor on a motorcycle after his fellow counselor abandoned him and a van of campers is just too much. The tonal shift of the film, the visual of a man outrunning a motorcycle with little to no effort, tand he obstacles that prove to be too much for Neil. All of it is wonderfully absurd.

The Deconstruction Of The 'Unlikely Team Of Misfits' Trope Is Top-Notch Comedy

Just when you think Wet Hot American Summer is going to take a cue from the great kids sports movies with its “unlikely team of misfits” speech, the movie throws the trope out the window, and the big game with a rival camp is called off at the last minute.

Coop Storming Off, Getting Caught In A Bucket, Slipping On A Banana Peel, And Landing In A Pool Is Peak Physical Comedy

The physical comedy in this movie is top-notch, and that’s especially true in the scene where an upset Coop gets caught in a bucket, slips on a banana peel, and then lands in a small pool is peak form.

Can We Talk About That Training Montage?

There are so many great movies with intense training scenes, and I feel weird including Wet Hot American Summer. However, that’s very much the case here with the random montage of Gene turning Coop from a teenager into a man. It’s just great!

The Talking Can Of Mixed Vegetables Scene Is So Random, But It Makes Sense In A Movie Like This

The incredible H. Jon Benjamin voicing a can of mixed vegetables in Wet Hot American Summer is one of the oddest things I’ve seen in a movie. I know, his backstory is explained in the 2015 Netflix series, but spending the better part of two decades not knowing if this was real or not was quite an experience.

Ben And McKinley's Wedding Scene Is Hilarious But Also Poignant

Ben (Bradley Cooper) and McKinley’s (Michael Ian Black) wedding is both hilarious (Amy Poehler’s flute playing) and poignant, and is handled in a meaningful and purposeful way. No notes.

The Number Of Times My Wife And I Watched This Movie When We First Started Dating Is Shocking

Back when Wet Hot American Summer was a staple on Netflix, my wife and I would watch it all the time. I’ve honestly lost count of how many times we’ve gone back to Camp Firewood over the years. Not so much now with the three kids, but back in our younger days, it was a monthly staple.

Gail Von Kleinenstein Turning Arts & Crafts Into A Therapy Session Perfectly Captures The Adult Experience

Molly Shannon’s Gail Von Kleinenstein turning her arts & crafts hour into an unorthodox and mortally questionable therapy session is honestly one of the quirks about this movie that makes it so great. Yeah, there are some ethical questions to answer, but let’s not think about those.

Arty Solomon Could Very Well Be My Favorite Character

The first time I watched Wet Hot American Summer, I thought Arty Solomon was just your normal radio-obsessed camper. However, he’s anything but. Over the years, the stinky camper who refuses to bathe or live in our reality (his microphone isn’t plugged in) has become my favorite character.

Beth And Henry Looking At Highly Specific Sections In The Library Is Too Good

The budding romance between Beth and Henry is one of the charms of Wet Hot American Summer and a subplot I love to revisit from time to time. What I love about it is the way in which it takes what could be a very straightforward love affair but turns the wonkiness up a bit. One of the best moments in this romance comes when they are both at the library at the same time (not knowing it, though), looking at very specific sections – Beth is looking at astrophysics (which isn’t that odd) while Henry glances over books on being a camp director.

I Didn't Realize Henry And Niles From Frasier Were Played By The Same Actor For Nearly A Quarter-Century

Hi, it’s me, I’m the guy who didn’t know that Niles from Frasier and Henry from Wet Hot American Summer were played by the same guy until 2025. Carry on…

My Summer Camp Was Nowhere As Fun As Camp Firewood, And I Think I Missed Out

I went to an overnight camp in central Louisiana for a few years when I was younger, and things were never as crazy as they were in Wet Hot American Summer. Sure, the counselors were up to no good at times, but we didn’t have a boat, or river trips, or talking cans of veggies. I feel like I was missing out.

Katie's Big Turn On Coop At The End Is Something

The whole movie, it feels like Katie (Marguerite Moreau) has a thing for Coop, and that they’ll eventually end up together before the movie ends. While that is partially true, the love of Coop’s young life informs him at the last second that she just wants to be friends before riding off with Andy in some random guy’s car. Brutal!

Susie's Meltdown About The Talent Show Is Some Of Amy Poehler's Best Work

Susie, the director and choreographer of the musical at the talent show, is one of the most outrageous characters in Wet Hot American Summer, especially when it comes to the production she’s putting on with Ben. Her meltdown when she suspects Beth is trying to sabotage her project is so out of left field. Honestly, it’s some of her best work, which is saying something.

The Search For Victor Is So Chaotic, So Random, And So Awesome

The scene near the end of the movie, where Beth and Neil go insane looking for Victor so he can save the campers from going over a cliff, is nuts. They run wild all over the camp, not listening to anyone or reason, and it creates a chaotic cap on an already wild movie.

I Remember Watching This Movie As A Kid And Just Not Getting It

I first watched Wet Hot American Summer when I was like 13 years old, and I remember just not getting it at the time. Years later, it’s one of my favorite movies.

​​​​Wet Hot American Summer is a goofy cult comedy classic movie stacked with (then) rising stars. Two of the cast members from the flick, Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler, reminisced about the ample amount of hang time fueled by adult beverages BTS. From sunup to sundown (and beyond), many adults of the Camp Firewood crew partied while off the clock, with one distinct exception. And the odd man out of the bunch in question is humorously fitting.

Amy Poehler recently had WHAS peer Paul Rudd join her on her podcast, Good Hang. The two covered a lot of ground, including his second title on the 2025 movie guide A24’s Friendship, along with many Rudd classics. Then there's the 2001 hit they shared. They recalled how most of their time not in character was dictated by beer runs and not prepping for future scenes. After each day was done, many gathered to drink said brews and party loudly into the night, until things shifted a bit with a late arrival. Via the podcast’s YouTube page, Poehler shared:

It’s wildly fitting that David Hyde Pierce, Fraiser’s persnickety Niles Crane, was the one to question the late-night goings-on. I can only imagine these two, along with Ken Marino, Bradley Cooper and Elizabeth Banks, or anyone who hung out, being taken aback humorously themselves.

The Ant-Man actor piped in, noting it was Pierce’s first evening on set. He mentioned the professional was likely prepping for his first scene the next morning and got interrupted by the partygoers. When the two parties met, no one formally knew the other, and a fellow cast mate broke the awkward tension with the obvious pop culture reference relating to the actor (though it was goofily skewed). The Clueless alum said:

This exchange makes me love the movie and the streaming Netflix subscription show that much more! It all screams the exacerbated drama of Camp Firewood all too well. And of course, Ken Marino’s comment is just the cherry on top of the amusing anecdote.

The podcast host jumped in to say the Fraiser actor was more curious than offended by the get-together, but it still left them all giggling like high schoolers after the fact:

Both Poehler and Rudd agreed he was a wonderful and fun collaborator to have, just a true serious actor opposed to the rest of them during the early ‘00s. I’m a bit obsessed with this brief but hilarious look behind the curtain of one of the best movies set at summer camp. But between these two, and everyone else on the call sheet who’s gone on to kill in Hollywood, it's hard not to be. For me ,at least.

As mentioned, the 56-year-old has a handful of movies coming out this year. In addition to the upcoming A24 movie, he’s already had Death of a Unicorn premiere at SXSW and will have a scheduled horror movie giant come out on December 25th–Anaconda, which is spun as a meta homage to the original of the same name. And of course, Avengers: Doomsday will release the following year.

Who knows if Paul Rudd has as much fun with these casts and crews as he did with Poehler and the gang of Wet Hot American Summer? Or if there was anyone like David Hyde Pierce who wasn’t on the same page as the partygoers? Hopefully, we’ll get those answers in twenty or so years.

Some movies just get lucky when it comes to young, up-and-coming casts. Movies like Dazed and Confused and Fast Times at Ridgemont High are legendary for this, but there are so many more. This is a list dedicated to those movies that somehow pulled together major stars before they were stars.

Platoon (1986)

Oliver Stone collected an impressive stable of talent for his Oscar-winning film Platoon. Charlie Sheen was a star on the rise, but most of his roles had been in supporting roles. Tom Berringer and Willem Dafoe, who play dueling sergeants, were also very early in their careers. Add that young actors like Johnny Depp, Kevin Dillon, Forest Whitaker, and John C. McGinley and it adds up to one amazing cast.

School Ties (1992)

1992's School Ties is everything this list is about. Not only was it Brendan Fraser's first lead role (other than Encino Man), but it had young stars in the making named Chris O'Donnell, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Cole Hauser, and Anthony Rapp.

Boyz n the Hood (1991)

Director John Singleton rocked the world with his debut feature Boyz n the Hood, and the cast he assembled was impressive. Cuba Gooding, Jr., Morris Chestnut, Angela Bassett, Nia Long, and Regina King were all very early in their careers, and Ice Cube proved he could jump from hip hop icon to actor with acclaim.

The Faculty (1998)

The Faculty was Robert Rodriguez's follow-up to From Dusk Til Dawn, and while it doesn't have the same rep that his first few movies have, it's still an underrated gem of a teen horror movie. It boasts a cast that included a young Jordana Brewster, Clea DuVall, Josh Hartnett, Elijah Wood, and Shawn Hatosy, not to mention Jon Stewart in one of the earliest, and biggest, movie roles of his career.

Empire Records (1995)

Like a lot of coming-of-age teen dramadies, Empire Records has an impressive cast of young actors destined for stardom. Actors like Liv Tyler, Renée Zellweger, Robin Tunney, Rory Cochrane, Ethan Embry, and Debi Mazar.

National Lampoon's Animal House (1978)

The biggest star in Animal House is, without a doubt, John Belushi. He was already one of the most famous comedic actors in the country due to his success on Saturday Night Live. However, Animal House was his very first starring role, and he was joined by other young actors who were on their way up, like Karen Allen, Stephen Furst, Tim Matheson, Tom Hulce, Bruce McGill, and, of course, Kevin Bacon, in his first-ever movie role.

The Outsiders (1983)

Francis Ford Coppola's iconic The Outsiders has to be on this list. The cast, almost all of whom were in one of the earliest roles of their careers, would go on to become some of the biggest stars in Hollywood. Stars like Tom Cruise, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Diane Lane, Emilio Estevez, Matt Dillon, and C. Thomas Howell. Nothing more really needs to be said.

The Goonies (1985)

Any movie with a list of young actors like Sean Astin, Josh Brolin, Corey Feldman, Martha Plimpton, and Ke Huy Quan belongs on this list. The Goonies is an iconic Gen X movie, and the cast grew up with the same generation and became icons in and of themselves.

Saving Private Ryan (1998)

The biggest stars in Saving Private Ryan, like Tom Hanks and Tom Sizemore, were already well established in their careers, of course. The supporting cast, however, was filled with young up-and-comers like Giovanni Ribisi, Vin Diesel, Barry Pepper, Nathan Fillion, Jeremy Davies, Adam Goldberg, and, of course, Matt Damon as the titular Private Ryan.

Diner (1982)

Barry Levinson has become one of the most revered directors in Hollywood, and his first movie included a lot of young actors who were headed for big careers. Ellen Barkin, Mickey Rourke, Steve Guttenberg, Daniel Stern, and Tim Daly all joined Paul Riser, who was making his film debut in Diner.

Dazed And Confused (1993)

Director Richard Linklater's 1993 classic Dazed and Confused is the prototype for a list like this. The teen comedy set in the '70s but helped define '90s cinema includes one of the most stacked casts of young actors ever. There are huge stars like Ben Affleck and Matthew McConaughey (in his first major role), Parker Posey, Yellowstone star Cole Hauser, Anthony Rapp, Adam Goldberg, Milla Jovovich, and even Renée Zellweger as an extra.

Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982)

There are few teen comedies more beloved than Fast Times at Ridgemont High. Not only is the movie hilarious, but it also features some major stars in the making. Stars like Judge Reinhold, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Phoebe Cates, and Forrest Whitaker. Then there are the stoners in the movie, led by Sean Penn. His buddies in the movie were played by Anthony Edwards and Eric Stoltz. And don't forget Nicolas Cage (billed as Nicolas Coppola) in his first appearance on the big screen as an extra.

The Big Chill (1983)

There is no more iconic Baby Boomer nostalgia flick than The Big Chill. While most of the actors in the ensemble cast have established careers, none could really be called stars until after the success of the movie. Actors like William Hurt, Meg Tilly, Tom Berenger, Glenn Close, Jeff Goldblum, Kevin Kline, and maybe the most famous "cast member," Kevin Costner. Costner played the corpse of their dead friend, and while his face isn't even seen on screen, he counts, right?

Do The Right Thing (1989)

Spike Lee burst onto the Hollywood scene in the late '80s, and his 1989 joint Do The Right Thing changed the rules of filmmaking forever. It helps that he assembled a cast that included young actors like Giancarlo Stanton, John Turturro, Samuel L. Jackson, and Rosie Perez.

Basquiat (1996)

Jeffery Wright had his breakout role as the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in Basquiat. He was joined by a lot of established stars like David Bowie, Dennis Hopper, and Gary Oldman, but there were quite a few young stars on the move, too. Actors like Benicio del Toro, Claire Forlani, Parker Posey, and even Sam Rockwell in a small role as a street hood,

Stand By Me (1986)

Stand By Me doesn't have a big cast, but almost everyone in the movie became a big star after its release. There's the older group of guys led by Keifer Sutherland and Casey Siemaszko, but it's the group of kids that really got famous from the movie. Wil Wheaton, Corey Feldman, Jerry O'Connell, and the late River Phoenix all have breakout roles. Plus, there's a bonus with John Cusack as Wheaton's character's dead brother in flashbacks.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)

The cast of Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World is a who's who of 2010's stars. Sure, Michael Cera had already begun making a name for himself, but there are a slew of others on the rise. Actresses like Aubrey Plaza, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Anna Kendrick, Alison Pill, and Brie Larson make up the bulk of the cast. Kieran Culkin and a pre-Captain America Chris Evans also show up.

Young Guns (1988)

Just like the title says, Young Guns isn't only about a bunch of young gunfighters in the late 19th Century like Billy The Kid, but the cast was also a bunch of young guns in Hollywood. Emilio Estevez leads a cast that also includes his brother Charlie Sheen alongside Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, Dermot Mulroney, and Casey Siemaszko. In the sequel, they were joined by Christian Slater, Balthazar Getty, and Bradley Whitford, among others.

Love Actually (2003)

Guys like Colin Firth and Hugh Grant were already big names when they starred in Love Actually, but much of the rest of the cast were in the very early days of their careers, most notably Chiwetel Ejiofor, Andrew Lincoln, Kiera Knightly, January Jones, Shannon Elizabeth, Denise Richards, and Martin Freeman.

Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

From the minds of The State came the now-iconic teen summer camp romp Wet Hot American Summer. It's like a little bit of the 1980s in the early 21st Century. It also features a cast who have gone on the big things in Hollywood, including Bradley Cooper in his first role, where he was joined by Amy Poehler, Paul Rudd, and Elizabeth Banks, alongside vets like David Hyde Pierce and Janeane Garofalo.

St. Elmo's Fire (1985)

This list would be incomplete without mentioning the famous 1980s "Brat Pack," and St. Elmo's Fire is where almost the whole crew was in the same movie. Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Demi Moore, Andrew McCarthy, Judd Nelson, and Ally Sheedy lead the cast list. Andie McDowell also appears in one of her earliest roles.

American Pie (1999)

Like so many other teen romps before and after it, American Pie is loaded with future stars. Jason Biggs leads the cast as Jim, and he's joined by Shannon Elizabeth, Alyson Hannigan, Seann William Scott, Tara Reid, Mena Suvari, and Natasha Lyonne. Not to mention the well-established stars like Eugene Levy and Jennifer Coolidge.

Black Hawk Down (2001)

2001's Black Hawk Down from director Ridley Scott has a mix of established stars like Ewan McGregor, Jason Isaacs, Tom Sizemore, and Sam Shepard, and young soon-to-be stars like Eric Bana, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Orlando Bloom, Tom Hardy, Hugh Dancy, and Ty Burrell.

Catch-22 (1970)

In 1970, the book Catch-22 was adapted on the screen for the first time and had some of the biggest stars of all-time in it, like Orson Welles, but if also had some future stars like Alan Arkin, Charles Grodin, Bob Balaban, and a young Martin Sheen in one of his first major roles.

Private Parts (1997)

In the mid-1990s, Howard Stern was the "King of all Media," and he proved it with his hit movie Private Parts, based on his first memoir. The movie starred most of the Stern crew from his radio show, but they were augmented by young actors like Paul Giamatti in his breakout role, Mary McCormack, Allison Janey, Edie Falco, and Leslie Bibb.

Superbad (2007)

It's fair to say that Superbad helped launch a bunch of careers into the stratosphere. Michael Cera got his breakthrough role, and so did Jonah Hill. They were joined by Seth Rogen, who was already on the rise; Bill Hader, who was in one of his earliest movie roles; and Emma Stone, who was in her very first movie role. It's a stacked cast, to say the least.

Full Metal Jacket (1987)

Matthew Modine was the biggest "star" in Stanley Kubrick's Vietnam War classic Full Metal Jacket, but he was hardly a big star at the time. The rest of the cast includes Vincent D'Onofrio, in his first major role, Adam Baldwin, and R. Lee Ermey, who was originally brought in as a consultant and ended up launching an acting career.

American Graffiti (1973)

George Lucas burst onto the Hollywood scene with his first major production, American Graffiti, in 1973, and he helped bring attention to a lot of future stars in some of their earliest roles, most notably Harrison Ford, of course. Ron Howard was already famous from Andy Griffith, but this movie would help him transition to older roles. The film also helped make stars of Richard Dreyfuss, Mackenzie Phillips, Cindy Williams, and Suzanne Somers.

Midnight Madness (1980)

Midnight Madness is one of the most forgotten Disney movies, but in the early '80s, it was a staple of cable TV. The cast included, most notably, Michael J. Fox and David Naughton in their first movie roles. It also included up-and-comers like Simpson's cast member Maggie Roswell and Animal House cast member Stephen Furst. Paul Rubens also has a small role in one of his first movies as well.

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)

Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels is still remembered as director Guy Ritchie's first film, and it also includes some young actors whose careers blew up after the movie. Most notably, Jason Statham, but also Nick Moran, Jason Flemyng, former soccer player Vinnie Jones, and Steven Mackintosh.

Not Another Teen Movie (2001)

Yet another teen movie - or in this case, Not Another Teen Movie - helped launch a bunch of career,s like Chris Evans in his first starring role and Josh Radnor in his first role ever. Jaime Pressly, Mia Kirshner, Chyler Leigh, Lacey Chabert, and Eric Christian Olsen join them.

Can't Hardly Wait (1998)

1998's Can't Hardly Wait falls in that sweet spot where it's beloved by young Gen Xers and elder Millennials. It's easy to see why, with a cast that includes up-and-coming stars like Jennifer Love Hewitt, Ethan Embry, Seth Green, Jason Segel, Clea Duvall, Seann Patrick Thomason, Donald Faison, and Selma Blair, among others.

Summer is in full swing and that means one thing for many kids across the country, summer camp! Some of our favorite memories of childhood happened when weren’t getting poison ivy at camp. If you're yearning for that kind of nostalgia, here are the best summer camp movies. 

Meatballs (1979)

You have to start any list of the best summer camp movies with the Bill Murray classic, Meatballs. It not only launched Murray’s career as a film star, but also marked the first time the SNL star teamed up with director Ivan Reitman. Murray and Reitman’s partnership proved to be one of the funniest in movie history, adding Stripes and Ghostbusters over the next five years after this comedy.

The world of comedy in the 1980s would have looked very different if Meatballs never happened. Despite being about kids, it does carry an R-rating because it’s, well, classic Murray and Reitman. Plus, it’s just a classic underdog tale about the slightly shabby camp taking on the rich-kid camp across the lake. 

The Parent Trap (1961 And 1998)

It’s pretty rare that a remake be as beloved as the original, but that is the case with 1961’s The Parent Trap starring Hayley Mills and the Lindsay Lohan-led remake from 1998. Neither movie takes place exclusively at camp, but when two twins separated at birth meet at summer camp and realize they are sisters, the hijinks begin, so it definitely counts here. This is a pair of movies that work great as a double feature for the whole family to enjoy. 

If we’re getting down to it, the original is still the best. It’s not nearly as dated as you would think, either. In fact, the ‘90s one feels a little more dated somehow, but both are still really fun movies that everyone walks out of happy, even if not everything makes sense. 

Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

Another stone-cold summer camp classic is the rauchy teen comedy Wet Hot American Summer, which owes a lot to Meatballs. The movie is mostly about the counselors (and the amount of partying and sex they have). It was written by and stars Michael Showalter, who wrote it as a spoof of classic ‘80s comedies, but despite being very similar to those movies in tone, Wet Hot American Summer is rated R, unlike many of its ‘80s counterparts. 

It also has a now-legendary cast including including Janeane Garofalo, the fantastic Paul Rudd, David Hyde Pierce, Amy Poehler, Molly Shannon, Christopher Meloni, and Elizabeth Banks, not to mention Bradley Cooper in his first film role. The movie has become such a huge cult classic that it launched its own mini franchise with two 8-episode series on Netflix a few years ago.  

Friday The 13th (1980)

Friday the 13th is the slasher film that redefined the genre in the ‘80s. This one is like the anti-Parent Trap and certainly not suitable for all ages. What more can really be said about the summer camp horror flick that hasn’t been already? Ghost stories have always been a key component of a great camp experience and the tale of Jason Voorhees (and his mother) is still haunting campers today, more than 40 years later. It doesn’t hurt that the franchise, like Jason, keeps coming back from the dead. 

The movie holds up remarkably well; it's full of jump scares and, of course, the legendary plot twist at the end is inspired by Alfred Hitchcock himself. While it is still rated R, it’s not nearly as gory as slasher films would get in the ensuing decades, and the violence, while not…campy…isn’t quite Saw-level either. 

Heavyweights (1995)

One trope that would be expected on this list would be “kids v. adults” set in a camp. Filling that role here is Heavyweights, starring Ben Stiller as a psychopathic fitness instructor who buys a “fat camp” and turns what was once a fun and rewarding place into the camp from hell. Stiller’s character is kind of like a cross between his psycho orderly in Happy Gilmore and Derek Zoolander. 

It’s good clean family fun, and really fun to watch a young Kenan Thompson as one of the campers. It’s not the best movie on this list, but it’s great for kids, and Stiller’s performance is fantastic. His father, Jerry Stiller, also makes an appearance as the the former owner of the camp that everyone loved, so Seinfeld fans have something to celebrate, too. 

Moonrise Kingdom (2012)

Wes Anderson movies can be polarizing, but it’s impossible not to love Moonrise Kingdom. In true Wes Anderson style, the movie is about two awkward kids who find love at Camp Ivanhoe. Rated PG-13, it’s exactly what anyone would want out of a summer camp movie and it stars a who’s who of Anderson collaborators, including Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, and Tilda Swinton, plus Bruce Willis in a memorable role. 

Anderson fans tend to be completists, so on the off chance you haven’t seen this one, you’re missing out. It’s actually one of his sweeter stories, but it has all the quirkiness and oddball characters that he’s become known for. 

Poison Ivy (1985)

No, no, this isn’t the weird almost-soft-core-porn-movie starring Drew Barrymore from the 1990s that’s not about summer camp at all. This Poison Ivy is a much more innocent made-for-TV family flick starring an about-to-be-even-more-famous Michael J. Fox. The movie first aired on NBC in February of 1985. For some context, Back to the Future came out just six months later, launching Fox’s career into the stratosphere. 

It’s also great for fans of ‘80s TV, as it sees him trying to get Facts of Life star Nancy McKeon, a fellow counselor, to fall in love with him. It’s like one of those crossover episodes that got popular in the ‘80s and '90s. They might not be playing Alex and Jo, but it’s fun to pretend they would fall in love, right?

Ernest Goes To Camp (1987)

You might be saying to yourself, “Why?" Why did we include Ernest Goes To Camp on this list of the best? The truth is, it’s actually pretty funny if you’re in the right mood. Yeah, it’s cheaply made, and over the years, Jim Varney’s character, Ernest P. Worrell, became very cliche, but this was the movie that started it all.

This was the first full feature for ol’ Ernest, and the physical comedy from Varney really is something to behold. If you're a fan of movies like Home Alone, this really should be right up your alley. It’s also worth to just to see the birth of one of the strangest franchises in film history. 

It Takes Two (1995)

To read the description, you’d think It Takes Two is some sort of off-brand Parent Trap, and, let’s be real here, it kind of is. It stars the Olsen Twins, Ashley and Mary Kate, as girls from different sides of the track who meet at summer camp and hatch a plan to switch places. Sound familiar? The twist is that they aren’t actually twins in the movie. They aren’t related at all. 

Getting more real: it’s not high art, but it is a lot of fun and it’s a movie kids are sure to enjoy. It’s innocent and playful; it doesn’t challenge viewers, but it doesn’t insult them, either. This is a great movie to watch as a family, or, honestly, a great one to have on in the background as you do stuff around the house on a Sunday afternoon. 

Indian Summer (1993)

I think most people who went to summer camp get nostalgic about wanting to return as an adult. Indian Summer is just that movie. In it, we can all see ourselves and what we might do when confronted with the good, the bad, and the ugly of our adolescence at camp. The mistakes we made as kids, the exes we never quite got over, and what could happen if we follow our dreams. 

The film has an all-star cast, including the late Alan Arkin, Elizabeth Perkins, Kevin Pollack, and Bill Paxton, who blend the joy of summer camp as a kid, with the harsh realities of adulthood magically and it’ll make anyone tear up with a little nostalgia of those summers in the woods. 

Bonus: Addams Family Values (1993)

Addams Family Values isn’t about summer camp, per se, but it does have one of the best summer camp subplots on film. Camp Chippewa for Privileged Children is about as trope-y as a camp can get, which of course means Wednesday (Christina Ricci) is pretty much completely disgusted. While the camp coordinators, played brilliantly by Peter MacNicol and Christine Baranski, attempt to get her acclimated by forcing her to watch wholesome movies in the “Harmony Hut,” Wednesday is just too smart for them. 

As might be predictable, she, along with the help of her brother Pugsly, captures the saccharine directors and lights the camp on fire, stealing a van in the process, which is probably what earned the movie its PG-13 rating. There is one bright spot for the dark Wednesday, as she finds love at camp with another nerdy outcast named Joel. Even the weirdest among us have their first kiss at camp. 

Unlike Indian Summer, most of us can’t go back to camp, but we can relive those glory days through the eyes of others. If you can’t make it back, and if you’ve binged all these, there are plenty of other family-friendly movies still coming out this summer that you can check out.  

What makes an R-rated movie? Is it crass and foul language? What about nudity? Violence, too? Or it could be a combination of these different elements, which is often the case for some of the best comedies of all time. 

Below is a list of 25 R-rated comedies that really earned their R-ratings, either because of language, nudity, violence, or simply because the subject matter was too harsh for audiences under a certain age. With classics like Blazing Saddles and modern gems like The Hangover, and just about everything in between, here are some of the raunchiest comedies and why the MPA felt they should be “restricted” at the box office, but not enough to earn the dreaded NC-17 rating.

The Hangover (2009)

Todd Phillips’ The Hangover pushed the limits of the R-rating in 2009 with its pervasive language, all kinds of references to drugs, violence, sex talk, and even some full-frontal nudity involving Ken Jeong. Those elements, along with a fun story about a group of guys who lose their friend in Las Vegas right before he’s set to get married, created one of the most popular comedies of the century as well as the most successful R-rated comedy of all time, per BoxOfficeMojo.

Blazing Saddles (1974)

Most likely the first Mel Brooks movie that comes to mind, Blazing Saddles is often considered one of those movies that could never be made today. And there’s a good reason for that: Brooks already made the classic Western comedy in 1974. But seriously, this legendary R-rated comedy is full of racist, sexist, and straight-up dirty language, has all kinds of references to sex, violence, and so much more. But, what more would you expect from a script co-written by the late, great Richard Pryor?

American Pie (1999)

Undoubtedly the biggest teen sex comedy of the 1990s, American Pie took the world by storm in 1999, especially for those who had to sneak into the living room while their older brother and his friends were watching it. From the scrambled porn opening scene to the infamous apple pie moment, there are plenty of reasons the movie about a group of high school seniors trying to lose their virginity earned an R-rating.

Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

Though David Wain’s teen comedy parody, Wet Hot American Summer, doesn’t push the boundaries like other movies on this list, the 2001 movie about the counselors and campers of Camp Firewood does have one sequence that earns its R-rating: the “Going into town” scene. In the span of three minutes, we go from a library to an alley where the counselors buy cocaine, rob an elderly woman, and shoot up heroin in a drug den that looks like something out of Trainspotting. As quickly as it starts, the scene ends and the teens go back to camp as if nothing happened. Classic. 

Bridesmaids (2011)

Paul Feig’s Bridesmaids is another movie on this list that is on the softer side of the R-rating, but this raunchy 2011 comedy starring Kristen Wiig (who also co-wrote the script) and Maya Rudolph more than earns its restricted classification. The food poisoning scene, especially when Rudoph’s character is pooping in the street, might not be too extreme, but the sexual references and crass language throughout the two-hour comedy were what made this modern classic too much for younger audiences.

Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

One of the best Eddie Murphy comedies, the Martin Brest-directed Beverly Hills Cop also happens to be one of greatest buddy cop movies, and comedies in general, of all time. Murphy’s turn as Axel Foley, a reckless Detroit police detective who goes to Los Angeles to solve the murder of his best friend, is definitely what gives this movie its R-rating, considering his constant barrage of profanity would be enough to lose a PG-13 classification in his first scene alone.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall (2008)

Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Nicholas Stoller’s comedy about a composer who goes on a Hawaiian vacation following his high-profile breakup with a famous actress, only to discover she’s at the same resort with her new boyfriend, was one of the biggest surprises of 2008. The language and situations found in Jason Segel’s script were enough to make this romp R-rated, but the two scenes where the actor is seen fully naked is what pushes it over the edge.

Friday (1995)

One of the best ‘90s comedies, F. Gary Gray’s Friday follows Craig Jones (Ice Cube) and his best friend Smokey (Chris Tucker) over the course of a single day, a day in which they get incredibly stoned, survive a drive-by, and take on neighborhood bully, Deebo (Tiny “Zeus” Lister Jr.). With language totally not suitable for younger audiences (unless they’re watching the USA Network edit), constant drug references, and one of the most brutal fights, there are plenty of reasons this 1995 comedy earned an R-rating.

Booksmart (2019)

Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart took the teen coming-of-age/sex comedy premise and flipped it on its head in 2019 with a hilarious and crude yet incredibly heartfelt story about two girls who finally decide to come out of their shells on the last day of school. Drug use, cursing, sexual situations, and other things often associated with male leads are instead tied to Kaitlyn Dever and Beanie Feldstein’s characters as they attempt to let loose after years of following the straight and narrow.

Clerks (1994)

Kevin Smith has had an incredibly long and fruitful career in Hollywood, and it all started with the 1994 black-and-white comedy, Clerks. If you are familiar with Smith’s movies, then you know this landmark film is full of unsavory language, drug use, some violence, and an extended bit of dialogue about a certain girlfriend and the number 37. 

Ted (2012)

Seth McFarlane’s 2012 comedy, Ted, follows life-long slacker John Bennett (Mark Wahlberg), as he spends his days wasting away with his best friend, a stuffed bear named Ted (McFarlane). This incredibly hilarious and crude movie checks all the boxes when it comes to an R-rating: drug use, sexual content, obscene language, and situations that may be too much even for some adults. 

The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)

Judd Apatow’s 2005 comedy, The 40-Year-Old Virgin, follows Steve Carell’s Andy Stiltzer as the introverted Smart Tech employee attempts to have sex for the first time. But, the craziest thing about this movie is that Andy isn’t what really earns the R-rating, but instead the cast of characters surrounding him. Paul Rudd, Romany Malco, and Seth Rogen’s characters are foul-mouthed, sex-crazed lunatics who really turn up the volume throughout the movie, especially a certain scene shared by Malco and a then up-and-coming Kevin Hart.

Superbad (2007)

We had Booksmart on the list, so you knew Superbad wasn’t going to be too far behind. This seminal teen comedy from Greg Mottola has all the hallmarks of a teen buddy comedy: two nerdy friends (played by Jonah Hill and Michael Cera), an end-of-the-year party, and language that would make a sailor blush. If the language and drug/alcohol use by teens wasn’t crazy enough, there’s that notebook scene at the end of the movie.

Fast Times At Ridgemont High (1982)

Amy Heckerling’s 1982 coming-of-age comedy, Fast Times at Ridgemont High, is just as popular 40 years later thanks to its incredible cast, multiple storylines, and some of the genre’s most iconic scenes. Some of these scenes, like the fantasy sequence involving Judge Reinhold and Phoebe Cates, help you figure out why the movie was given an R-rating upon its initial release. But, the cussing and drug use by Sean Penn’s Jeff Spicoli also probably helped in that department.

There's Something About Mary (1998)

The Farrelly Brothers’ 1998 romantic comedy, There’s Something About Mary, is one of those movies that could have earned an NC-17 rating; it’s that wild. The movie centers on Ted Stroehmann (Ben Stiller) as he seeks out Mary Jensen (Cameron Diaz), his high school crush who’s also the obsession of pretty much every man she encounters. If you’ve seen this movie, you know it doesn’t hold back when it comes to language, sexual situations, and gross body humor like the zipper scene and that hair gel moment.

Harold & Kumar Go To White Castle (2004)

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle introduced the world to two of the greatest movie potheads in 2004 with its story about a pair of underachievers who go on an epic quest to find a greasy, square-shaped burger. It’s the journey that makes these road trip movies so much fun, right? Well, along the way, Harold (John Cho) and Kumar (Kal Penn) get into all kinds of ridiculous situations, including a sequence with Neil Patrick Harris, that more than earn it a spot on this list.

Me, Myself & Irene (2000)

After There’s Something About Mary, the Farrelly Brothers gave the world another great R-rated comedy, and one that pushes the limits of the rating once again, with the 2000 Jim Carrey comedy, Me, Myself & Irene. The movie follows Carrey’s Charlie Baileygate, a meek and overly nice Rhode Island state trooper who finally snaps after years of taking abuse from everyone around him. This split personality, known as Hank Evans, creates some of the most hilarious, and depraved, moments from Carrey’s career.

National Lampoon's Animal House

The legendary National Lampoon’s Animal House is an absurdly funny and raucous affair, which is to be expected considering the movie is about a college fraternity on probation for poor academic standing and countless conduct violations. Even then, John Landis’ 1978 comedy surprises you with its vulgarity, sexual situations, and straight-up ridiculousness from characters played by the likes of John Belushi, Tim Matheson, Peter Riegert, and Kevin Bacon.

The Big Lebowski (1998)

One of the best Coen Brothers movies, The Big Lebowski is one of those films that transcends genre, but since it’s funny as all hell, we can’t not include it here. Released in 1998, the movie follows Jeffrey “The Dude” Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) as he gets caught up in a scheme involving the other Jeffrey Lebowski (David Huddleston), which leads to a long and winding road of kidnappings, pornography, and an epic fantasy sequence. The sexual situations, violence, and language from Walter Sobchak (John Goodman) sent this over the edge.

Porky's (1982)

Two years before he gave the world the classic holiday movie, A Christmas Story, Bob Clark presented a less wholesome and raunchier movie that made the whole leg lamp situation look like nothing. Of course, we’re talking about the successful 1982 sex comedy, Porky’s. So, why the R-rating? Well, there’s the main plot that involves a group of Florida high schoolers going to a strip club in an attempt to get their friend laid. Combine that with the “pepping” and “Lassie” subplots, and you can figure it out.

Borat (2006)

Released in 2006, Borat! Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, or Borat for short, was a mockumentary following Sacha Baron Cohen’s titular character as he explored America and got into all kinds of hijinks. With a combination of scripted sequences and some of the most absurd hidden-camera pranks, there was no way Larry Charles’ movie was going to be anything but R-rated. Nudity, sexual situations, cussing, violence, and racism/xenophobia are all at play in this utterly ridiculous movie.

Zombieland (2009)

Though movies like My Boyfriend’s Back, Warm Bodies, and World War Z proved a good zombie movie could have a PG-13 rating, that wasn’t the case for Ruben Fleischer’s 2009 horror comedy, Zombieland. Taking the best elements of buddy action comedies and combining them with the hallmarks of the zombie genre, the movie was a fun ride. Crude language, violence, and so much gore are the main reasons the movie earned an R-rating.

Freddy Got Fingered (2001)

How Tom Green’s surrealist comedy, Freddy Got Fingered, was given an R-rating instead of the NC-17 classification is something that remains a mystery 22 years after its initial release. While the main plot about Green’s Gordon “Gord” Bordy trying to become a professional cartoonist doesn’t sound all that crazy, the movie is anything but tame. The horse and elephant scenes, the subplot where Gord accuses his father of sexually abusing his brother, and pretty much everything that happens is WILD. 

Revenge Of The Nerds (1984)

Jeff Kanew’s 1984 comedy, Revenge of the Nerds, doesn’t seem all that bad or too risque on the surface, but man, this movie is absolutely nuts. Sure, there’s an edited TV version that cuts out a lot of the language and some of the more absurd scenes, but the theatrical cut is a depraved exploration of college culture. The language is one thing, but the Lambda Lambda Lambda members spying on a sorority, the Darth Vader scene, and several other interactions mean giving this movie an R-rating was a no-brainer.

Super Troopers (2001)

The 2001 Broken Lizard comedy, Super Troopers, follows a group of Vermont state troopers as they try to prevent their raucous station from being shut down and their jurisdiction handed over to the local police department. Doesn’t sound too bad, right? Well, this movie is bonkers in all the good ways. With more curse words than one can count, so many drug references, and so many shenanigans, it’s easy to see what an R-rating was a given with this one.

Well, we’ve come to the end of this wild and debaucherous ride going back several decades. If you want to know about all the upcoming comedy movies that will push the boundaries of the R-rating, take a look at our 2023 movie schedule so you don’t miss a thing.

Every weekend, Hollywood’s biggest releases compete with one another to be the biggest hit at the box office, but when you look at things from a more long term perspective, you realize that a movie’s success is not always measured by the dollar amount. You might be surprised to learn that some films — despite how much they are cherished by audiences and hailed by critics to this day — were not what you would call a financial success when they first came out. Take, for example, these box office flops that you may consider to be a hit in your own heart.

Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory (1971)

Just about the most beloved adaptation of a Roald Dahl novel is this wondrously delicious favorite starring the late, great Gene Wilder as an eccentric chocolatier who invites five children to tour his legendary factory. However, according to The Numbers, the success of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory was not so sweet early on as the $3 million production only made a little more than $1 million in profits at the box office.

Annihilation (2018) 

Alex Garland made a strong directorial debut with 2014’s Ex Machina -- which made more $25 million on a $15 million budget — but his follow-up did not quite inspire the same returns. While certainly a critical success, his Natalie Portman-led adaptation of the surreal sci-fi novel, Annihilation, was a few million shy of making back its $40 million budget, raking in just $32.7 million domestically, according to Box Office Mojo.

Ali (2001)

Director Michael Mann’s dramatization of Muhammad Ali’s life was a major milestone for the lead actor's career (and is still considered one of Will Smith's best movies) from a performance standpoint — his portrayal of the boxing champ earned him his first Oscar nomination — but not from a commercial standpoint. Ali made $58.2 million domestically, just barely matching even half of its $107 million budget.

The Big Lebowski (1998)

By crafting a traditional film noir story but with an aimless, aging pothead protagonist (Jeff Bridges), the Coen Brothers created one of the most worshipped films of their career and most popular comedies of all time. However, The Big Lebowski’s road to success was long one, having cost 15 million bones to make, but only turning in a not-so-far-out profit of more than $3 million dollars.

Blade Runner (1982)

Ridley Scott’s adaptation of Phillip K. Dick’s dystopian mystery novel, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, is just about as influential to sci-fi cinema as Star Wars, but was certainly not the runaway success that said 1977 epic was. Even with a star like Harrison Ford in the lead as a cop hunting artificially created humans, Blade Runner only surpassed its $28 million budget by nearly $5 million domestically.

Blade Runner 2049 (2017)

Denis Villeneuve’s long-awaited follow-up to Blade Runner — in which Harrison Ford reprised his role as Rick Deckard alongside Ryan Gosling as K — is regarded by many as an improvement on its predecessor in some ways, but would suffer a worse fate at the domestic box office. Blade Runner 2049 is estimated to have cost $150 million, but only brought in a little over $92 million.

Blow Out (1981)

Both director Brian De Palma and star John Travolta can cite Blow Out as one of the biggest bombs of their careers, having made $12 million on an $18 million budget (which was low even for the standards at the time). However, this suspense thriller about a movie sound recordist who uncovers life-threatening evidence to a murder has since been regarded by many — including Quentin Tarantino, as recalled by Studio Binder — as a vastly underrated classic.

Bottle Rocket (1996)

Wes Anderson’s directorial debut, Bottle Rocket — a funny tale of three amateur thieves that he also wrote with star Owen Wilson — marks an interesting time in the prolific filmmaker’s career. In addition to being a far cry from the quirky, retro aesthetic that has defined his career since, it remains his biggest commercial failure, making only $560,069 on an estimated $7 million budget.

Children Of Men (2006)

While some argue it is Alfonso Cuaron’s magnum opus, Children of Men is one of the filmmaker’s least commercially successful films. Now, that may not sound like too much of a loss to the director of one of the best Harry Potter movies and Gravity, until you learn that the bleak dystopian drama’s budget was $76 million and it only raked in $35.5 million domestically

Doctor Sleep (2019)

While Stanley Kubrick’s 1980 adaptation of Stephen King’s The Shining — one of the best horror movies ever — was not a runaway success, it at least went on to make more than $45 million on a $19 million budget. However, Mike Flanagan’s stunning sequel, Doctor Sleep — following an adult Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor) — was not so fortunate, being made for $45 million, but only earning about $31.5 million.

Donnie Darko (2001)

Writer and director Richard Kelly’s mind-bending, $6 million debut, Donnie Darko — starring Jake Gyllenhaal as the troubled titular teen — had some help achieving theatrical distribution from none other than Christopher Nolan. However — while it is widely beloved now for its inventive concepts and bizarre imagery — it proved to be a major financial disappointment, only making $517,375 domestically.

Dredd (2012)

There was a time when even the best R-rated comic book movies were still considered a big risk, and the disappointing financial returns of the Karl Urban-led cult favorite, Dredd — which made only $13.4 million on a $50 million budget — are a prime example of why. The original Sylvester Stallone-led adaptation of the dystopian comic, Judge Dredd, was not much of a success either, being made for $90 million but not even making back half domestically. 

Fight Club (1999)

Director David Fincher’s Fight Club is one of the most essential examples of a film that really took its time to earn a reputation as one of the most idolized films ever made. Even with career-defining performances by Brad Pitt and Edward Norton, the provocative, darkly comic satire took in just a little over $37 million, despite a budget of $63 million.

Grindhouse (2007)

Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez teaming up on a project that recreates a lost era of B-movie double features sounded like surefire hit, especially with only $67 million put up for it. Unfortunately, the 191-minute Grindhouse underperformed in its debut weekend, leading to separate distribution for Rodriguez’s Planet Terror and Tarantino’s Death Proof, and a domestic total of only more than $25 million by the end of its run.

The Hudsucker Proxy (1994)

The biggest flop of Joel and Ethan Coen’s career — as reported by The Atlantic — was the 1950s-set industry satire, The Hudsucker Proxy. Even with the star power of Tim Robbins, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Paul Newman, the dark comedy, which cost $25 million dollars to make, only made $2.8 million dollars domestically.

Idiocracy (2006)

Is it a sign that we are headed toward a future devoid of intelligence, like this smart satire predicts, that such a film only made a little more than $444,000 on a $2.4 million budget? In reality, writer and director Mike Judge’s cult favorite, Idiocracy, was — as a retrospective by Uproxx recalls — the victim of extremely small distribution (only 130 theaters) and the lack of a fair marketing campaign to promote it.

The Iron Giant (1999)

Before he earned millions, and Oscars with classic Pixar movies The Incredibles and Ratatouille, Brad Bird made his feature-length directorial debut with an ode to ’50s B-movies called The Iron Giant. The underrated animated movie cost Warner Bros. $70 million dollars, but, sadly, it only raked in $23 million domestically.

Kingdom Of Heaven (2005)

Director Ridley Scott has helmed a few very successful historical epics in his day — such as Best Picture Oscar winner Gladiator — but Kingdom of Heaven, unfortunately, is one of his least profitable, taking in only $47.4 million on a $130 million budget. However, most fans agree that theatergoers saw the lesser version of the Orlando Bloom-led dramatization of the Crusades, as most prefer the director’s cut. 

The King Of Comedy (1982)

Even a master of cinema like Martin Scorsese has had a few flops in his day, with one of the least profitable actually being one of his collaborations with Robert De Niro: The King of Comedy. According to Esquire, the story of an aspiring comedian driven to crime to achieve his dreams had a budget of $19 million, but only made back just a little more than $2 million.

Mulholland Drive (2001)

David Lynch is one of cinema’s most inventive filmmakers, with most of his devoted followers citing the surreal Neo-noir thriller, Mulholland Drive, as his best film yet. Unfortunately, it is also one of his biggest box office bombs, barely making back half of its $15 million budget.

Office Space (1999)

Director Mike Judge’s Office Space is one of the sharpest, most quotable, and most beloved cult favorite comedies to come out of the ‘90s. However, people were not really showing the love in its initial theatrical run, during which — according to CNN — it made back its $10 million budget, but only profited less than a million.

Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping (2016)

The Lonely Island’s Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping is hailed to this day as one of the funniest movies of 2016, which is why it is still surprising that the $20 million movie only brought $9.6 million. Andy Samberg has said he was not bothered by the mockumentary-style music industry satire bombing, but he, Jorma Taccone, and Akiva Schaffer did tell Collider that its very “[Justin] Bieber-driven” marketing was disappointing to them.

Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World (2010)

While Edgar Wright’s visually stunning, cleverly funny adaptation of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s series of popular graphic novels might be his defining achievement, it is also one of his biggest commercials failures, making only $33.2 million on a budget of $60 million. However, the filmmaker has told IndieWire that he does not measure the movie's success on its box office results, and an upcoming Netflix original Scott Pilgrim vs. the World anime series shows the love for it is still strong.

The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

Writer and director Frank Darabont’s The Shawshank Redemption is one of the most beloved Stephen King adaptations, but not one of the most financially successful. Even with Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman giving powerful lead performances (the latter got an Oscar nomination), the $25 million prison drama made a profit just shy of $4 million.

Steve Jobs (2015)

Most critics and audiences favor the Aaron Sorkin-penned, Danny Boyle-helmed, and Michael Fassbender-led drama based on the life of Apple’s founder over the one with Ashton Kutcher from 2013, Jobs. However, making $16 million on a $12 million budget, that one was the greater financial success, as the $30 million dollar Steve Jobs only brought in $17.8 million, with Boyle blaming its “too wide, too soon” release when speaking to BBC.

The Thing (1982) 

Today, John Carpenter’s The Thing is considered a masterpiece of sci-fi and horror for its clever themes of paranoia and brilliant special effects, but it was neither a hit with critics nor audiences when it first came out, costing $15 million to make — according to Far Out Magazine — and bringing in just $13.8 million. Some of the cast and crew believe that the Kurt Russell-led film’s failure had something to do with the success of a more lighthearted alien movie that came out around the same time: E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.

Wet Hot American Summer (2001)

The cult favorite comedy, Wet Hot American Summer, boasts a packed, star-studded ensemble that some films would only dream of having…but only retroactively. The cast — including the likes of Paul Rudd and Elizabeth Banks — still had a few years before hitting the A-list and its lack of star power (at the time) might have contributed to its extremely low box office returns, bringing in only $295,206 on a budget of just $1.8 million, according to EW.

By surviving diminishing box office returns on the road to becoming beloved classics, these movies prove that slow and steady does win the race.

Unless you are the kind of person who easily gets fed up by high-temperature weather, swarms of pesky insects, and the sound of fireworks displays keeping you up at night, it is a shame that we only get to experience the summer just once a year. Luckily, we have the advantage of vicariously living out the season of barbecues, baseball, and - most importantly - no school, anytime time of the year with the magic of movies.

Of course, not every movie set during the summer is the best option to conjure the season’s best memories (see great summer horror movies). That is why we have compiled our favorite summer comedy movies, along with a tip on where to check them out on streaming or a digital rental or purchase, below - starting with one that is, arguably, the most essential of the bunch. 

The Sandlot (Amazon Prime, Disney+)

A lonely boy (Tom Guiry) discovers the joys of the season after making friends with a of group  baseball fanatics, who soon get themselves into a big “pickle” involving a prized baseball signed by Babe Ruth in the summer of 1962.

Why it is one of the best summer comedy movies: By presenting the story entirely from a child’s perspective, co-writer and director David Mickey Evans' 1993 family favorite captures most essential aspects of the summer with astonishing accuracy and achieves a spot among the best sports movies of all time, with credit due to the young The Sandlot cast’s wonderful performances.

Stream The Sandlot on Amazon Prime.
Stream The Sandlot on Disney+.

The Bad News Bears (Cinemax)

A beer-swilling former major leaguer (Walter Matthau) accepts a job as the coach for a team of young misfits whom he struggles to mold into real athletes to compete against the other extremely competitive teams in their California little league.

Why it is one of the best summer comedy movies: Long before The Sandlot, the quintessential movie about youngsters running the bases during the summer (but not so much for the love of the game, that is) was 1976’s The Bad News Bears - director Michael Ritchie and writer Bill Lancaster’s hilarious and even inspiring underdog story that is still remembered as one of the best baseball movies of all time.

Stream The Bad News Bears on Cinemax.
Rent (or buy) The Bad News Bears on Amazon.

Heavyweights (Disney+)

An 11-year-old (Aaron Schwartz) finds himself surprisingly excited to be the new guy at a beloved youth weight-loss camp for the summer, until he and his new friends learn the devastating news that it has been bought out and rebranded by a sadistic fitness guru (Ben Stiller) and his loyal crew of barbaric trainers.

Why it is one of the best summer comedy movies: Speaking of hilarious and even inspiring underdog stories, the charming and sometimes a bit dark 1995 family comedy, Heavyweights, is a story about being happy with who you are, but also learning how to improve yourself, that was co-written and produced by Judd Apatow and features a talented young cast (including future SNL cast member Kenan Thompson) alongside other future comedy superstars Stiller and Paul Feig.

Stream Heavyweights on Disney+.
Rent (or buy) Heavyweights on Amazon.

Wet Hot American Summer (Amazon Rental)

A lovestruck camp director (Janeane Garofalo) struggles to keep her crew of rowdy, hormonal counselors in order while taking care of unfinished business during their final day at Camp Firewood for the summer of 1981.

Why it is one of the best summer comedy movies: Speaking of summer camp movies featuring a cast of future comedy superstars, perhaps the definitive summer camp movie (but for adults) would have to be 2001’s Wet Hot American Summer - a hilariously raunchy cult favorite that inspired two Netflix original series - one a prequel and the other a sequel - from director David Wain, who also co-wrote with star Michael Showalter.

Rent (or buy) Wet Hot American Summer on Amazon.

Meatballs (Amazon Prime, Tubi)

As the annual, coveted Camp Olympics are approaching, the fun-loving head counselor (Bill Murray) decides to set aside his irresponsible, womanizing ways and try to whip his rowdy, hormonal, young campers into shape to break their longtime losing streak.

Why it is one of the best summer comedy movies: Long before Wet Hot American Summer, the definitive adult-oriented summer camp movie had to be 1979’s Meatballs - one of the late Ivan Reitman’s best movies (and his first collaboration with his friend, Murray) which went on to spawn three sequels.

Stream Meatballs on Amazon Prime.
Stream Meatballs on Tubi.

The Great Outdoors (Amazon Rental)

A Chicago man (John Candy) sees his leisurely summer getaway in Wisconsin  interrupted by the unexpected arrival of his snobbish brother-in-law (Dan Aykroyd) and his own family, whose struggle to share the fun of this vacation is only worsened by a series of ridiculous incidents. 

Why it is one of the best summer comedy movies: Another fun movie about camping during the summer and starring a pair of Ivan Reitman movie veterans is 1998’s The Great Outdoors - a classic of the family vacation disaster comedy subgenre from writer John Hughes.

Rent (or buy) The Great Outdoors on Amazon.

National Lampoon’s Vacation (HBO Max)

A Chicago food additives and preservatives expert (Chevy Chase) sees his cross-country road trip to a beloved amusement park with his wife (Beverly D’Angelo), son (Anthony Michael Hall), and daughter (Dana Barron) quickly devolve into a desperate plea for fun, stability, and sanity when they fall prey to a series of maddening circumstances.

Why it is one of the best summer comedy movies: Of course, the crown jewel of the family vacation disaster comedy subgenre has to be the first (and, arguably, best) of the National Lampoon’s Vacation movies from 1983 - a timelessly relatable and boldly uproarious laugh riot from director Harold Ramis that was also written by John Hughes and is based on his own short story.

Stream National Lampoon’s Vacation on HBO Max.
Rent (or buy) National Lampoon’s Vacation on Amazon.

The Way Way Back (HBO Max)

A shy teen (Liam James) spends the summer with his mother (Toni Collette) and her domineering boyfriend (Steve Carell) at the boyfriend’s beach house in Cape Cod, where he receives a job and some much-needed mentorship from the affable manager of a nearby water park (Sam Rockwell).

Why it is one of the best summer comedy movies: A more recent and more grounded instant classic of the summer vacation comedy subgenre (and one of the dysfunctional family variety as well) is 2013’s The Way Way Back - an inspiring and romantic coming-of-age story written and directed by the Academy Award-winning duo of Nat Faxon and Jim Rash.

Stream The Way Way Back on HBO Max.
Rent (or buy) The Way Way Back on Amazon.

Moonrise Kingdom (HBO Max)

A police captain (Bruce Willis), the local scoutmaster (Edward Norton), and other citizens of a small island community desperately search for an orphaned 12-year-old boy (Jared Gilman) and a girl of the same age (Kaya Hayward) who have run away together after becoming smitten with each other in early 1960s New England.

Why it is one of the best summer comedy movies: Probably the greatest romantic coming-of-age comedy I have ever seen and my personal favorite Wes Anderson movie is 2012’s Moonrise Kingdom - a visually dazzling and uniquely hilarious celebration of youth that earned Anderson and Roman Coppola an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

Stream Moonrise Kingdom on HBO Max.
Rent (or buy) Moonrise Kingdom on Amazon.

Dazed And Confused (Peacock Premium)

On the last day of school, a group high school students on the cusp of their senior year and others who just became freshman celebrate their freedom with a night of debauchery in 1976 Austin, Texas.

Why it is one of the best summer comedy movies: Taking place at the very beginning of the summer season is one of writer and director Richard Linklater’s most acclaimed experiments with time, 1993’s Dazed and Confused - a brilliant party movie with and a wicked cast of future A-listers (such as Ben Affleck and Matthew McConaughey) that boasts an invigorating soundtrack of classic hits from the 1970s.

Stream Dazed And Confused on Peacock Premium.
Rent (or buy) Dazed And Confused on Amazon.

American Graffiti (Amazon Rental)

On their last night before going off to college, a group of teenagers enjoy one last night of freedom and debauchery cruising the streets of Northern California in 1962.

Why it is one of the best summer comedy movies: Taking place at the very end of the summer season is one of the best George Lucas movies outside of the Star Wars franchise, 1973’s American Graffiti - a beautiful love letter to a lost generation featuring a stunning cast of future A-listers (such as Ron Howard and Harrison Ford) and a heart-swelling collection of needle drops from the ‘50s and ’60s.

Rent (or buy) American Graffiti on Amazon.

Summer School (Showtime)

A lazy, fun-loving gym teacher (future NCIS star Mark Harmon) is forced to abandon his vacation plans when he is selected to instruct remedial English for his school’s summer program.

Why it is one of the best summer comedy movies: The only movie on our list of summer movies in which the majority of the story actually takes place during school is the aptly title Summer School - an underrated 1987 comedy directed by the legendary Carl Reiner.

Stream Summer School on Showtime.
Rent (or buy) Summer School on Amazon.

One Crazy Summer (1986)

While on a Nantucket retreat with his friends before going off to art school, an aspiring cartoonist (John Cusack) crosses paths with an aspiring singer (Demi Moore) who's on the run from a biker gang and ends up helping her save her grandfather's estate from greedy developers.

Why it is one of the best summer comedy movies: Also starring the uproarious Bobcat Goldthwait, writer and director Savage Steve Holland's One Crazy Summer is one of the most uproarious comedies of the 1980s and one of the best John Cusack movies for simply keeping the promise its title makes from beginning to end.

Stream One Crazy Summer on Starz.
Rent (or buy) One Crazy Summer on Amazon.

No matter what happens, your summer can always can be one of fun and laughter with any of these hilarious classics.

Whether Paul Rudd has been one of your favorite leading men since the '90s, or he’s just now becoming one of your favorites to watch, there are plenty of Paul Rudd movies to fit your style. You may be a fan of the Paul who stole his ex-stepsister’s heart, or the one who sometimes fights bad guys and always makes you laugh. You might even be a fan of the more obscure, meme-worthy Paul. There are so many choices when it comes to Paul Rudd’s best movies.

The 2021 sexiest man alive has plenty of great films available to purchase, rent, or stream. For this list, I chose movies that mainly feature Rudd as one of the main characters. There may be a movie or two with him in a supporting role, but the majority of the films on this list have him as the star. It also contains picks from the 1990s and early 2000s, so it's not just new school Paul Rudd.

The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005)

Middle-aged electronics store employee Andy (Academy Award nominee Steve Carell) lives a quiet and simple -- but a bit lonely -- life that is suddenly upended when his coworkers discover he has never had sex. After his new friends make it their mission to help him lose his virginity, he embarks on a riotous journey of self-rediscovery that may lead him to achieving something more meaningful when he meets a woman around the same age (Academy Award nominee Catherine Keener).

Rudd's first of many collaborations with Judd Apatow, The 40-Year-Old-Virgin, is also the writer and director's debut feature and still considered one of the best Apatow movies to this day that stands out among other raunchy comedies of the time for a surprising dose of maturity and heart. Rudd is a key component to that, giving an endearing performance as Andy's sympathetic, broken-hearted friend, David.

Stream The 40-Year-Old Virgin on Amazon Prime.
Buy The 40-Year-Old Virgin on Blu-ray on Amazon. 

Clueless (1995)

Cher (Alicia Silverstone) is the typical wealthy American teenager. She loves makeovers, shopping, and hanging out with friends, but she starts to reevaluate her life and values when she finds herself falling for an unexpected person.

If you’re like me, you’ve seen Clueless a million and one times and always love it. It’s not just a great movie, but Cher and Josh (Paul Rudd) are relationship goals, even if their relationship is a little on the weird side, because they’re ex-step siblings. The Clueless cast may have done so many things since the 1995 movie, but it’s an epic teen classic that lives on forever, and one of the reasons for its success is Rudd  being so charismatic in it.

Stream Clueless on HBO Max.
Rent/buy Clueless on Amazon.
Get Clueless on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

The Ant-Man And Marvel Movies (2015-)

Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) was a professional thief who happened to find himself as the new operator of an Ant-Man suit designed by Hank Pym (Michael Douglas). He joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2015's Ant-Man. Rudd has now appeared in numerous MCU projects, including the upcoming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania.

Rudd has brought a light energy to the Marvel Cinematic Universe that always makes it fun to see Scott on screen. He’s far less serious than some of the other characters, and even when he’s trying to be serious, there is still some element of comedy.

Stream Ant-Man on Disney+.
Rent/buy Ant-Man on Amazon.
Get Ant-Man on DvD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

The Fundamentals Of Caring (2016)

The Fundamentals of Caring is a Netflix original movie about a man who becomes the caregiver of a boy with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. The film stars Paul Rudd, Craig Roberts, and Selena Gomez. The Fundamentals of Caring is one of the great coming of age movies that not only explores learning and growing from the young adult perspective, but from an adult as well.

The Fundamentals of Caring is a comedy but with some serious elements about grief and loss. Rudd manages to keep the film lighthearted while also showing viewers a realistic portrayal of a man deeply saddened and trying to cope with a tragic event.

Stream The Fundamentals of Caring on Netflix.

I Love You, Man (2009)

Fearing that he doesn't have enough close male friends, Peter (Paul Rudd) decides to find a new best male friend before his wedding. He meets Sydney (Jason Segel), and they instantly become great friends, but Peter’s fiancé, Zooey (Rashida Jones), and Sydney don’t mesh as well.

I Love You, Man is a buddy comedy that really leans into the elements that resemble a romantic comedy, especially when Peter and Sydney first initially connect. That’s one of the many ways that I Love You, Man offers a true to form but unique take on the buddy comedy movie. Rudd and Segel also have great on-screen chemistry that almost makes you more interested in their relationship drama than Zooey and Peter’s problems.

Stream I Love You, Man on Netflix.
Rent/buy I Love You Man on Amazon.
Get I Love You, Man on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Role Models (2008)

Paul Rudd stars as Danny, a man who works at an energy drink company. Danny has one too many bad days and gets himself and co-worker Wheeler (Seann William Scott) sentenced to do community service as mentors. Role Models also stars Elizabeth Banks, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Bobb’e J.Thompson, and Jane Lynch.

Role Models was also co-written by Paul Rudd. The film includes a slew of well-known comedians in very fitting but over the top roles. Role Models details the life of a man who hates everything, but starts to hate things a little less through mentoring an unusual kid.

Stream Role Models on Hulu.
Rent/buy Role Models on Amazon.
Get Role Models  on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Wet Hot American  Summer (2001)

Wet Hot American Summer is a satirical film that takes place during the last day of a fictional summer camp in 1981. It’s a film that satirizes those '80s teen sex comedies. It features an all-star ensemble that includes Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Elizabeth Banks, Ken Marino, and Paul Rudd. Netflix created a TV series version of Wet Hot American Summer that lasted for two seasons and included many of the film’s original cast. 

I wouldn’t say Wet Hot American Summer is for everyone, but for those who can appreciate its quirk and humor, it is a fun film that highlights some of the ridiculousness that makes '80s sex comedies so awesome or cringey/problematic, depending on what stance you take on them. 

Rent/buy Wet Hot American Summer on Amazon.
Get Wet Hot American Summer on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

This Is 40 (2012)

This is 40 is the sequel/spin-off of Knocked Up. It focuses on the marriage of Pete (Paul Rudd) and Debbie (Leslie Mann), and depicts many of the stresses that their marriage is dealing with as they're both turning 40. This is 40 is one of the three Judd Apatow films that Paul Rudd has appeared in. The other two films were The 40-Year-Old Virgin and Knocked Up.

The 40-Year Old Virgin, in my opinion, is the best of these three films, but Paul Rudd has more of a supporting role in the other two movies, and This is 40 allows him to be the star alongside Leslie Mann. The film is not the happiest look at aging, marriage, or life, but it’s executed with humor and optimism.

Stream This is 40 on HBO Max.
Rent/buy This is 40 on Amazon.
Get This is 40 on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

The Anchorman Movies (2004, 2013)

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy is a satirical comedy that stars Will Ferrell. It takes a shot at '70s news reporting with this over-the-top news anchor and his crew. The first Anchorman film also starred Christina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner, and Fred Willard. In 2013 the sequel, Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, was released.

The Anchorman films are the right blend of wacky, fun, and over-the-top. They’re what a good time looks like in film form. Rudd plays one of his most ridiculous characters in the Anchorman films.

Stream Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy on Paramount+.
Rent/buy Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy on Amazon.
Get Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021) 

Ghostbusters: Afterlife takes place thirty-two years after the events of the second Ghostbusters film. It follows a single mother, Callie (Carrie Coon), and her two children, Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) and Phoebe (McKenna Grace), as they move to a farm left by Callie’s estranged father. Paul Rudd plays seismologist Gary Grooberson. 

Ghostbusters: Afterlife connects the past films in a way that pays homage but also moves them toward a future franchise and what that could become. It’s a great film for Ghostbusters fans who love the original and want a film that keeps that spirit but also lets the film’s new stars, like Rudd, shine. 

Rent/buy Ghostbusters: Afterlife on Amazon.
Get Ghostbusters: Afterlife on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

Overnight Delivery (1998) 

Overnight Delivery is a romantic comedy about a college man who believes that his long-distance girlfriend is cheating on him. He gets drunk and seeks revenge by mailing her some staged photos of himself with a dancer he met at a strip club through an overnight delivery service. The next morning he discovers that she didn’t cheat, and now he must retrieve the photos before they arrive.

Overnight Delivery stars Reese Witherspoon, Paul Rudd, and Christine Taylor. This isn’t one of Paul Rudd’s best films, but it is a charming romantic comedy that many may not have heard of or seen. Rudd and Witherspoon are fun to watch together in what is nearly a FedEx propaganda film. 

Rent/Buy Overnight Delivery on Amazon.
Get Overnight Delivery on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

The Cider House Rules (1999) 

The Cider House Rules follows Homer (Tobey Maguire), an orphan who works as a doctor’s apprentice while living in an orphanage during World War II. Instead of following the path his mentor, Dr. Larch (Michael Caine), sets for him, he decides to follow a young couple and begins to work in a cider house. 

The Cider House Rules has a cast full of future stars, including Charlize Theron, Kieran Culkin, and Paul Rudd. The cast also includes big names such as Delroy Lindo, Erykah Badu, and Heavy D. Paul Rudd has a supporting role as Lt. Wally Worthington. It’s not a huge Rudd-centric film, but he has enough material to bring that famous Rudd charm. The Cider House Rules is also full of amazing performances, especially by Lindo and Caine. 

Stream The Cider House Rules on HBO Max.
Rent/buy The Cider House Rules on Amazon.
Get The Cider House Rules  on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

The Object Of My Affection (1998) 

The Object of My Affection is a romantic dramedy about a woman who falls in love with her gay best friend. It stars Jennifer Aniston and Paul Rudd before their Friends days. 

The Object of My Affection isn’t a traditional romantic dramedy, because it’s less about romantic love and more about friendship and accepting that true love doesn’t always have to be romantic. 

Stream The Object of My Affection on Starz.
Rent/buy The Object of My Affection on Amazon.
Get The Object of My Affection on DVD/Blu-Ray on Amazon.

These are only a few of Paul Rudd’s best movies available online. Romeo + Juliet, Reno 911: Miami, The Perks of Being a Wallflower, and Our Idiot Brother are just a few other great Paul Rudd movies that you can check out. Paul Rudd’s upcoming projects shows that there may be even more great movies added to this list in the future. 

I believe there is more than one type of Bradley Cooper fan, especially at this point in his career. There are those who see him as a blockbuster superstar from Guardians of the Galaxy, as well as those who admire his talent both on and behind the camera for 2018’s A Star is Born - his Academy Award-winning directorial debut. Then, there are also those who have followed Bradley Cooper since even before he became a household name, which is a time we intend to explore with the following list.

The 45-year-old, Philadelphia native wears many hats in Hollywood these days, having come a long way from his memorable appearances on Inside the Actor’s Studio as a wide-eyed audience member hoping to learn more about the craft from guests like Robert DeNiro. Years later, he has starred in several films with the legendary screen veteran whom he also calls a friend and served as a producer for his film Joker in 2019. Not to mention, in 2011, Bradley Cooper finally got to sit across from the late James Lipton as his guest.

Before and beyond that emotionally gratifying milestone, Bradley Cooper has only done more to cement himself as one of the best in his craft, on both the big and small screen. Just take a look at the following 12 movies and TV shows, currently available to stream right now, that we consider highlights of his career, starting with the film that first made him an Oscar-nominated star.

Silver Linings Playbook (Netflix)

A man diagnosed with bipolar disorder (Bradley Cooper) hopes to reconcile with his adulterous ex-wife after his release from a mental institution, but an unexpected friendship with a recovering sex addict (Jennifer Lawrence) interrupts his plan.

Why It's A Good Option for Bradley Cooper Fans: Based on the book by Matthew Quick, Silver Linings Playbook is an inspiring recovery tale and, arguably, director David O. Russell’s greatest achievement, especially for Cooper’s unmistakable chemistry with Lawrence in the role that earned her an Academy Award in 2013.

Stream Silver Linings Playbook on Netflix here.

Serena (Amazon Prime, Tubi)

Financial woes, tragic accidents, and other complications arise for a North Carolina logging baron (Bradley Cooper) shortly after he marries a beautiful woman (Jennifer Lawrence) in the midst of the Great Depression.

Why It's A Good Option for Bradley Cooper Fans: The essential lifeblood of Serena (a romantic, historical drama from Bird Box director Susanna Bier released in the US in 2015) is that signature chemistry between Cooper and Lawrence.

Stream Serena on Amazon Prime here or on Tubi here.

Alias (Amazon Prime)

After suffering a devastating betrayal, a spy learns the organization that recruited her years earlier is an international crime syndicate and secretly works against them as double agent for the CIA.

Why It's A Good Option for Bradley Cooper Fans: While series lead Jennifer Garner would be the bigger action star during the 2001-2005 run of Alias, Bradley Cooper got a taste of that life on the hit espionage series from J.J. Abrams as major recurring character Will Tippin - Sidney Bristow’s journalist friend who inches closer and closer to her secret and dangerous professional life when he investigates the death of her fiance.

Stream Alias on Amazon Prime here.

The Place Beyond The Pines (Starz)

A motorcyclist’s (Ryan Gosling) reliance on bank robbery to support his child with an old flame (Eva Mendes) is challenged by an ambitious rookie (Bradley Cooper) hoping to make a difference at his corrupt police department.

Why It's A Good Option for Bradley Cooper Fans: One the earliest times Bradley Cooper came close to big screen action stardom (before American Sniper and the MCU, of course) was in 2012, starring opposite Ryan Gosling in The Place Beyond the Pines - a taut cat-and-mouse thriller that remains a beautiful hidden gem in the Neo-noir genre.

Stream The Place Beyond The Pines on Starz here.

Wet Hot American Summer (Starz)

Near-death experiences, complicated romantic tumbles, shameful laziness, and other hijinks ensue on the debaucherous counselors of Camp Firewood’s last day on the job in the summer of 1981.

Why It's A Good Option for Bradley Cooper Fans: Among the star-studded ensemble (before many of them were stars) of the 2001 cult comedy classic Wet Hot American Summer, Bradley Cooper plays Ben, a gay counselor in charge of the camp talent show, whom he reprised in the 2015 prequel series Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, which is available to stream on Netflix.

Stream Wet Hot American Summer on Starz here.

Limitless (CBS All Access)

Ordinary 28-year-old Brian Finch (Jake McDorman) is hired as an FBI consultant after he comes into possession of a pill that unlocks the ability to use his brain at full capacity.

Why It's A Good Option for Bradley Cooper Fans: In the 2011 film Limitless, Bradley Cooper played struggling writer turned stockbroker Eddie Morra, whom he reprised four years later - now a senator supplying Finch with NZT - on the well-liked series adaptation that lasted one season on CBS.

Stream Limitless on CBS All Access here.

Kitchen Confidential (Hulu)

The adventures of a down-and-out celebrity chef (Bradley Cooper) who gets a second chance by leading the kitchen of a population New York restaurant.

Why It's A Good Option for Bradley Cooper Fans: This sitcom, inspired by the late Anthony Bourdain’s memoir also called Kitchen Confidential, also lasted one season on Fox from 2005 to 2006, but was one of Bradley Cooper’s first TV jobs to help further exploit his comedic talent and allow him to take advantage of his culinary interests.

Stream Kitchen Confidential on Hulu here.

The Midnight Meat Train (Tubi, IMDb TV)

A struggling photographer (Bradley Cooper) suspects that a high-end local butcher (Vinnie Jones) is connected to the disappearance of a woman he met one late night at a subway station.

Why It's A Good Option for Bradley Cooper Fans: A “Scream King” is not a title commonly associated with Bradley Cooper, but his performance in The Midnight Meat Train - a 2008 hidden horror gem from Hellraiser creator Clive Barker - makes it a creepy ride worth taking.

Stream The Midnight Meat Train on Tubi here or on IMDb TV here.

Yes Man (HBO Max)

A divorced social pariah (Jim Carrey) makes a surprising covenant to only say “Yes” to everything, which only makes his life better, until it starts to get worse.

Why It's A Good Option for Bradley Cooper Fans: While he was still relatively a face without a name in the comedy world, Bradley Cooper landed a supporting role in Yes Man as a lawyer struggling get Jim Carrey’s character to be more accepting before taking full advantage of his covenant soon after in hilarious fashion by coaxing him into solely handling their friends’ bar tab.

Stream Yes Man on HBO Max here.

The Words (Amazon Prime)

A best-selling author (Bradley Cooper) is forced to confront the truth that the novel which made him a literary success contains not a word he wrote himself.

Why It's A Good Option for Bradley Cooper Fans: If not for its amusing commentary on ambition told through a story-within-a-story structure, you should at least watch The Words to see Bradley Cooper in a romantic onscreen relationship with Zoe Saldana two years before (technically) sharing the screen in an entirely different fashion.

Stream The Words on Amazon Primer here.

All Of Bradley Cooper’s Marvel Movies (Disney+)

A disgruntled, gun-toting thief resembling a woodland creature (Bradley Cooper) forms an intergalactic hero-for-hire group with fellow reformed outlaws in Guardians of the Galaxy, and later joins forces with Earthbound vigilantes after a space tyrant turns half the universe to dust, including most of his friends.

Why It's A Good Option for Bradley Cooper Fans: Bradley Cooper joined the MCU in the most unexpected of ways voicing hilarious CGI animal Rocket Raccoon - a character he shares with mocap performer Sean Gunn in 2014’s first Guardians of the Galaxy film, its 2017 second volume, and in a surprisingly pivotal role in Avengers; Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame.

Stream Bradley Cooper’s Marvel Movies on Disney+ here.

The Hangover Part II (HBO Max)

Two years after surviving their friend’s disastrous Las Vegas bachelor party, history begins to repeat itself for The Wolf Pack (Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, and Zach Galifianakis) after they mysteriously wake up in a Bangkok slum on the eve of Stu’s Thailand wedding.

Why It's A Good Option for Bradley Cooper Fans: I am actually in the minority that finds 2011’s The Hangover Part II pretty entertaining for its commitment to relentless insanity, even if it is practically a mirror image of its much funnier 2009 predecessor that, unfortunately, is not available to stream anywhere at the moment.

Stream The Hangover Part II on HBO Max here.

What do you think? Does being a sequel to one of the most acclaimed comedies of the 21st Century earn The Hangover Part II the right be considered a highlight of Bradley Cooper’s career, or did you already forget about both of those sequels? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for additional information and updates on the multi-talented artist, as well as even more of our own recommendations for what you should stream right now, here on CinemaBlend.

That headline may make it look like I'm suggesting you start living with yourself after streaming Paul Rudd movies. But no! You should be living with Paul Rudd, all the Paul Rudd. Netflix has several Rudd movies available to watch before this Friday gives us a double-dose of the Marvel hero in his 8-episode series Living With Yourself. He plays two versions of the same character in the series, showing that Netflix understands you can never have too much Paul Rudd.

On that note, stream these Paul Rudd titles before the October 18 premiere of Living With Yourself. If you're not into Paul Rudd ... you probably wouldn't be reading this, but I do streaming recommendations every Monday and the bottom of this post has a crapload of other options for you.

The Fundamentals of Caring

Paul Rudd's 2016 indie movie -- following a writer-turned-caregiver who takes a road trip with a teen with muscular dystrophy -- got mixed reviews from critics but high marks from viewers. Jennifer Ehle, Craig Roberts, and Selena Gomez co-star in the dramedy, which premiered at Sundance before arriving on Netflix in 2016. Whether critics liked the movie or found it forced, they praised the enduring likability of Paul Rudd.

Stream The Fundamentals of Caring on Netflix.

Our Idiot Brother

Paul Rudd's trademark charm is on full display in this 2011 dramedy about a well-meaning doofus who exasperates and changes the lives of his three sisters. As someone with two brothers, I love the title. Critics loved the movie slightly more than viewers, who gave it a down-the-middle 51% RT audience score from 40,692 user reviews. But, once again, whether people liked the plot and other characters or not, they loved the hell out of Paul Rudd.

Stream Our Idiot Brother on Netflix.

Wet Hot American Summer (also Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp and Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later)

It is definitely worth your time to binge all three Wet Hot movies/series to date on Netflix. It all started with Wet Hot American Summer, the 2001 ensemble comedy movie that became a cult classic. Paul Rudd played Andy, and he returned for the prequel and sequel series. The prequel, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, premiered on Netflix in 2015. That hilarious eight-episode series showed the actors over a decade older in real life, but playing the same characters in a time period months earlier than the original movie. A sequel series, Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later, arrived with 8 more episodes in 2017.

Stream Wet Hot American Summer, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, and Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later on Netflix.

Between Two Ferns: The Movie

Paul Rudd's part of Between Two Ferns: The Movie starts around the 30 minute mark. His interview with Zach Galifianakis is a classic hilarious roast, in keeping with all the others.

Stream Between Two Ferns: The Movie on Netflix.

The Little Prince

Despite one of Zach Galifianakis' jokes in Between Two Ferns: The Movie, Paul Rudd does not just get jobs because of his looks. The Little Prince is an example, since he's not shown in the animated fantasy, he voices the adult Little Prince. Mr. Prince arrives a little over an hour into the movie; turns out, he forgot his childhood and became a stressed-out janitor for Albert Brooks' greedy Businessman. The Little Prince premiered at Cannes in 2015 and was meant to get a release in the U.S. but that release was reportedly dropped from budget cuts. Thankfully, Netflix picked up the movie in 2016. The movie earned rave reviews from critics (93% RT) and a thumbs up from viewers (84% audience from 14,157 ratings).

Stream The Little Prince on Netflix.

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Gotta stream those Marvel movies on Netflix while you can! Disney+ is coming, but for the moment Netflix has the second Ant-Man movie, Ant-Man and the Wasp. The first movie isn't on Netflix as of October 2019, but the second one is available and it's a blast. When CinemaBlend staffers ranked MCU movies, I ranked both Ant-Man movies very high. You can also stream Avengers: Infinity War on Netflix, to see what was happening without Scott Lang/Ant-Man, since he's not in that one. I wish Endgame was on Netflix, because it would be perfect to watch Ant-Man and the Wasp and go straight to Avengers 4. Here's hoping Marvel Studios greenlights another Ant-Man movie for Phase 5.

Stream Ant-Man and the Wasp on Netflix.

Mute

Mute is one of Paul Rudd's worst-reviewed movies, and fans didn't seem to like it that much more. But Rudd has one of the main roles in Moon director Duncan Jones' sci-fi movie. Rudd plays surgeon Cactus Bill, alongside Justin Theroux as Cactus' best friend Duck. Alexander Skarsgard has the lead role of Leo in the movie set in 2035. Many critics praised the film's visuals but found the story wanting. But that doesn't mean Paul Rudd isn't amazing in it. And come on. You have to watch it for that 'stache alone.

Stream Mute on Netflix.

Netflix doesn't have every Paul Rudd movie, but you can check Amazon, Google Play, iTunes, Hulu, or -- soon? -- Disney+ for some of his other movies like Clueless; I Love You, Man; Anchorman; Romeo + Juliet; and more. You can, however watch his Friends episodes on Netflix, since Friends is still there. For now. If you feel ambitious, you could even track down his very first acting role in the early '90s TV show Sisters.

If you're looking for more streaming recommendations, check out these past features:

• 5 Excellent Keanu Reeves Roles Worth Streaming On Netflix And Amazon

• 5 Sci-Fi TV Shows To Watch On Netflix: Our Streaming Recommendations

• 5 Documentary Series To Watch On Netflix: Our Streaming Recommendations

• 5 British TV Comedies On Netflix You Should Bloody Well Watch: Our Streaming Recommendations

• 3%, Occupied, Harlots, and Other Streaming Recommendations

• 5 Robert Downey Jr. Movies To Love 3000 On Netflix

• 5 Chris Evans Movies Worth Streaming On Netflix And Amazon

• 5 Ryan Reynolds Roles Worth Streaming On Netflix And Amazon

• 5 Will Smith Movies Worth Streaming Right Now On Netflix And Beyond

• 5 Refreshingly Non-Toxic Reality TV Shows Worth Streaming On Netflix

• 5 Joaquin Phoenix Movies Worth Streaming On Netflix And Amazon Ahead Of Joker

• 5 Stripper Movies Worth Streaming In Honor Of Jennifer Lopez's Hustlers

• The 5 Best Space Movies To Stream In Honor Of Brad Pitt's Ad Astra

• 11 Unbelievable True Crime Series Worth Streaming On Netflix

• 8 Movies With 100 Percent Ratings Worth Streaming Before Netflix's The Irishman

What have you been streaming lately on Netflix -- or Amazon, Hulu, etc.? Have you seen El Camino and/or Fractured yet? Are you excited for Disney+?

March is here, and with promises of spring weather, ever lighter days and Easter eggs around the corner, we get our usual batch of new films and TV shows that are debuting on Netflix's streaming platform. Out of the multitude of choices heading our way in the next calendar month, there's a select handful that really look to brighten our day. If you want to see the best and the brightest of this past month's incoming class, you can find them in our previous rundown. But today we cast our eyes to the future and are taking a look at the best movies coming to Netflix throughout March.

300

Back in the days of Zack Snyder's then-up-and-coming career, 300 was handed to him as his first graphic novel adaptation set up at Warner Bros. His second major motion picture, the Frank Miller comic was brought to full color life by Snyder, while introducing us to a lot of the tools and tropes the director would use over his entire career. Enjoy this one as a throwback to a simpler era of standalone comic films, with the shine on Zack Snyder's star still intact.

Adventureland

While both Kristen Stewart and Jesse Eisenberg are pretty big deals right now, Adventureland is a shared project of theirs that landed at a rather interesting time. It was the dawning of a new age of tentpoles and indies alike, with the MCU just revving up the year before and Miramax on the decline as an indie stalwart. Due to both of those factors, this one seemed to be pigeonholed and overlooked in its initial release. You wouldn't be blamed if you haven't discovered writer/director Greg Mattola's ode to summer jobs and the romance that sometimes blossoms from them, so now's your chance to correct that.

Beerfest

With Super Troopers 2 is finally becoming a reality in just a couple of months, there's a lot of excitement in the air for the return of Broken Lizard to the big screen. Which raises the all-important question, are we finally going to get Weedfest within the near future? Of course, to be asking that question, you need to be familiar with the joy-inducing comedy that the troupe's film Beerfest managed to generate. And what do you know? It's on Netflix for all to enjoy as a sort of pre-game for Super Troopers 2! So if you're holding out hope for another long overdue sequel seeing the light, or if you just like Broken Lizard's damned funny faces, throw in Beerfest one or five times throughout March!

Casino

Here's a fun party game: mention the name Martin Scorsese and see what movies get mentioned first. Almost always, it's going to be Goodfellas, Raging Bull, The Departed and even The Wolf of Wall Street. Yet below the strata of intensely well known Scorsese, there are gems that need some more love from the public - flicks like The King of Comedy, or even Casino. Everyone loves to compare it to Goodfellas, as it's obviously a very mafia-centric story, but that comparison is unfair. While Goodfellas focuses on a guy who always wanted to be a gangster, the Robert De Niro lead in Casino just wants to run a square joint and take care of those that he loves. Though, in true Martin Scorsese form, it's not an easy bet.

Cruel Intentions

Out of all of the '90s nostalgia driven trips we've been subjected to, how has Cruel Intentions not managed to land a solid revival? Sure, there was that TV pilot a couple years back, and a new musical is heading to the stage this year in New York, but surely there would have been a remake/sequel by now, right? Then again, if you revisit this '90s classic for yourself, you'll probably see why it's so damned hard to bring Kathryn, Sebastian and Annette back into the modern day. For as everyone could tell with the two subpar, direct-to-DVD sequels (which have also found a home on Netflix this month), that first movie was truly lighting in a bottle.

Forgetting Sarah Marshall

Break-ups suck, and if Valentine's Day didn't go the way you'd hoped this year, you're probably still sorting through the wreckage. Netflix understands this, and as such, it's bringing Forgetting Sarah Marshall to your weary eyes in the name of laughing at heartache. Allegedly inspired by his failed relationship with a former co-star, this kinda rom/definitely com flick sees writer/star Jason Segel's Peter trying to escape his heartache by vacationing to Hawaii. Unfortunately for him, his ex-girlfriend and her new boyfriend are both in the same state. We won't spoil how it turns out in case you're new to this one, but we will say that it's well worth watching for the Dracula musical numbers alone.

Ghostbusters

Comedy is a fickle genre, as blazing successes of today don't always age the way they should. Just ask anyone with a copy of Superbad who they haven't even spoken to in a good decade. And yet, the films that stick do so for the best reasons. Ghostbusters, in the wrong hands, might have wound up a relic that people talked about with fondness that was freeze dried from the moment of their first and only viewing as a kid. And yet, it's a fresh and vibrant movie that's definitely a product of its time, but one that doesn't completely anchor itself to its '80s origins. Yes, it's true, this film is immortal.

Moon

If it wasn't for Duncan Jones failing to cast Sam Rockwell in Mute, but really wanting to work with him anyway, Moon would have never happened. And while we've just received that other film in our Netflix queues as of today, it's that first film that still sticks in our minds. Rockwell's performance as Sam Bell, the lone employee of a lunar mining corporation with a big secret, is still a revelation after all this time. While there's a good chance he will win the Best Supporting Actor Oscar this year, we can't help but feel that there should have been more love for his role as Sam back in the day.

The Brothers Grimm

Terry Gilliam is the king of underrated successes. Just ask any of his fans. With The Man Who Killed Don Quixote finally being completed, there's no better time to tear through the director's back catalog and pick out some favorites. As such, it's recommended that you check out The Brothers Grimm, a fantasy comedy that operates on such a fantastically efficient level, it feels like a tentpole with weight to it. With Heath Ledger and Matt Damon playing the titular brothers, who turn out to be con artists with fantastic storytelling abilities, seeing this pair fight off more than they can chew is a true delight.

Up In The Air

While it certainly looked like the "topical choice" for the Academy Awards in its year of nomination, Jason Reitman's Up in the Air actually serves a deeper purpose. The George Clooney/Anna Kendrick road dramedy certainly gives a voice to the woes of the economic recession that hit Americans hard, as it actually cast real people that lost their jobs at the time to play some of the folks being let go by Clooney's corporate soldier. But underneath that plotline are tales of love, ambition and where you're actually going in life versus where you're hoping to land. At times tender, with some gut punches that help highlight its humanity, it's a movie that should be enjoyed on a day where you're really ready to parse it out.

Wet Hot American Summer

Much like film audiences the world over, Netflix is in love with Paul Rudd. With six of his ten best performances (in our opinion) being run in their streaming platform, you could very easily find yourself stuck in a Rut of Rudd. And if you choose to do so, we suggest throwing in Wet Hot American Summer in there somewhere, as it's a fun and jerky balance to some of the sweeter, more stoic work he's done in recent years. That, and it's Wet Hot American Summer. How do you not watch Wet Hot American Summer when it's staring you right in the face?!

Let Me In

Remakes get a pretty bad name for the most part, as simply adapting something that's been done before feels like a waste of time, money and attention span. But if you can recapture what makes the original that damned brilliant, while at the same time spinning it in a slightly different way to make it its own thing, then you have a case for just how the concept works on its best day. Let Me In is one of those best days in remake history, as director Matt Reeves takes Let The Right One In and turns it into a film that still strikes the notes Tomas Alfredson's Swedish original did, but in a different and darker chord.

Parks and Recreation was a consistently funny show during its seven seasons on NBC. Sadly, Parks and Rec came to an end back in 2015, and fans had to say goodbye to the ensemble that had brought so many laughs. Now, Netflix has found an amazingly bizarre way to reunite two Parks and Rec stars on a totally different show. Amy Poehler and Adam Scott will both appear in the upcoming Wet Hot American Summer: 10 Years Later. Check 'em out!

Yes, Adam Scott will be playing the Wet Hot American Summer role originated by Bradley Cooper in the 2001 movie and then reprised by Cooper in the first season of the Netflix revival. In a fun twist, the character is actually named Ben, which makes Wet Hot American Summer: 10 Years Later the second time that Adam Scott has played somebody named Ben in a project already starring Amy Poehler.

These are two very different Bens, however. The Parks and Rec Ben was an endearingly nerdy math whiz of a government employee, whereas the Wet Hot American Summer Ben was a gay camp counselor and talent show master who pretended to date Susie so that nobody would figure out his secret. Both dynamics were funny, but both were very different. It should be fun to see how Adam Scott works opposite Amy Poehler as Ben 2.0.

If there's any show that can pull off recasting Bradley Cooper with Adam Scott, that show is undeniably Wet Hot American Summer. This is a series that brought back the original movie cast 14 years later to play the same characters in a prequel without bothering to comment on clear signs of aging from everybody (except for Paul Rudd). If we weren't going to get Bradley Cooper back, I'd say Adam Scott wearing a Bradley Cooper wig and gabbing with Amy Poehler's Susie about plastic surgery is pretty much perfect.

It seems that Ben has done pretty well for himself in the ten years since the end of Wet Hot American Summer. The preview reveals that his marriage to McKinley is still going strong, and they even have a baby. So what if they need a nanny? They found one played by Alyssa Milano! Susie doesn't seem to be in a state of wedded bliss, but who needs romance when you can dress up in totally epic 80s fashion? While I'll miss Bradley Cooper as Ben, I'm pretty excited about Adam Scott.

Adam Scott and Alyssa Milano aren't the only newcomers who will join the Camp Firewood alums on Wet Hot American Summer: 10 Years Later. Other newbies will include Samm Levine, Mark Feuerstein, Jai Courtney, and Dax Shepard. The season will run for eight episodes and debut on Netflix on Friday, August 4 at 12:01 a.m. PT. For all the other shows to hit Netflix in 2017, check out our Netflix premiere guide.

If you've been paying attention to the world of TV production, you'll notice that nostalgia is one of the most popular trends on television. As 20 and 30 somethings long for a simpler time, we've seen plenty of previously completed projects revived for new installments, delighting fans. Netflix in particular has been proactive about this lucrative trend, and one of these types of projects was 2015's Wet Hot American Summer: First Day Of Camp. A prequel TV series to the 2001 cult favorite movie Wet Hot American Summer, Netflix managed to reunite its original cast, most of which have become massively successful in the decade or so since the film came out. One of these actors is Bradley Cooper, although it looks like he might not return for the sequel series Ten Years Later.

This news comes to us from Netflix itself, which recently listed the full cast of returning and newcomer cast members for Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later. And while the cast is absolutely fantastic, Bradley Cooper's name is noticeably missing from the list of contributors. This will likely disappoint the hardcore fandom of Wet Hot, as Cooper's storyline in both the film and eventual TV show contains one of the more romantic and sweet moments of the series as a whole. Plus, the dynamic duo of he and Amy Poehler is absolutely delightful.

Reassembling the ensemble cast of Wet Hot American Summer was no doubt a difficult task for First Day Of Camp, but they managed to make it happen. Early rumors claimed that Bradley Cooper actually filmed all of his scenes in one day, due to his busy schedule as a movie star. While those claims were eventually refuted, Cooper was definitely in less of the series than some of his co-stars. But the idea of not having the character Ben in the new show would be a serious bummer.

Then again, just because Bradley Cooper isn't included in the cast list doesn't mean that he won't show up at all in Ten Years Later. I wouldn't be surprised if he ended up with a cameo role, hopefully reuniting with Michael Ian Black's Mckinley. And if the series is saving Cooper's eventually appearance as a surprise cameo, then it would make sense that he wasn't listed in the cast list.

In both Wet Hot American Summer and First Day Of Camp, Bradley Cooper plays theater enthusiast Ben. He and Amy Poehler's Susie run the theatrical productions at camp, and act like its G-D Broadway. And while Susie is trying to make their relationship more romantic, she's actually his unknowing beard. Later in the film we see Ben's real love interest in Mckinley (Michael Ian Black), and the two share a surprising love scene in the film.

Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later will be released in its entirety August 4, 2017 on Netflix. With or without Bradley Cooper.

Actor Jai Courtney got his first big acting break on TV back in 2010, but he then immediately jumped into a big screen career that has seen him star in at least one gigantic blockbuster flick in each of the past five years, not to mention the non-blockbuster stuff. Courtney is everywhere these days, and now he's flipping back to TV to surprisingly show off his comedy skills for the Netflix Original Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later.

A sequel series to both the original Wet Hot American Summer film, as well as last year's outstanding prequel series, subtitled First Day of Camp, Ten Years Later will obviously take place a decade after the events of that iconic 1981 summer. And just as real-life modern audiences have done, fictional audiences in 1991 are about get a first look at Jai Courtney as a star. He'll be playing an indie movie actor named Garth MacArthur - a name that is extremely fun to say over and over again - who is on the cusp of super-fame.

Garth already has a league of fans, but he's more focused on personal issues, such as his relationship with Amy Poehler's Susie. Well, it's only half a relationship, since she doesn't want to take things past the point of being sporadic lovers, while he wants something more serious. To be expected, Garth will tag along with Susie on her trip back to Camp Firewood for the 10-year reunion, according to Deadline

Jai Courtney's mainstream career has been fairly bereft of comedy, minus the madcap antics of Captain Boomerang in this year's Suicide Squad. So it's hard to know how he's going to do in the inevitable scene where Susie tries to use Garth to make Bradly Cooper's Ben jealous, even though Ben is gay and hopefully still messing around with Michael Ian Black's McKinley.

Really, it'll be crazy to see Jai Courtney go toe-to-toe with anyone and everyone in this cast, especially Christopher Meloni and Ken Marino. Victor and Garth on a van ride that never ends! Just about everyone from the original cast will be returning, and Courtney is one of the few involved whose age won't be part of Wet Hot American Summer's in-joke. His addition to the cast follows that of Alyssa Milano, an actress who was insanely popular in the early 1990s, when the show is set, so you know her character's age is going to play into it.

If you want to see what Jai Courtney has been up to that won't involve talking cans of vegetables, you can catch the Terminator Genisiys star later this year in the post-apocalyptic thriller Man Down, opposite Shia LaBeouf. As well, he'll star in the wartime drama The Exception with Christopher Plummer and Lily James. And his next flick is set to be a smaller-scale drama The God Four with Natalie Dormer and Michael Douglas.

Wet Hot Jai-merican Summer: Cour-Ten-y Years Later doesn't have a release date set just yet, but it'll make its debut on the streaming service at some point in 2017. To see what else is coming to Netflix around that time, check out our premiere schedule.

Few modern actresses have developed the sort of iconography enjoyed by Alyssa Milano. Starting her career as a child in movies like Commando and Old Enough, she would eventually go on to achieve increased fame in her teen and adult years with roles in sitcoms, soap operas, and major motion pictures. Hell, she even had a ship named after her in James Gunn's Guardians of the Galaxy. Now it seems that the legendary actress has found a brand new TV role on the upcoming second season of Netflix's Wet Hot American Summer series, which is being dubbed Ten Years Later.

A new report from Deadline confirms that Alyssa Milano has been tapped to join the cast of the second season of Wet Hot American Summer. Unlike last summer's Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, the upcoming season of the Netflix series will fast forward in time one full decade to meet up with our favorite characters ten whole years after their final day of work at Camp Firewood. Well, everyone except Michael Ian Black's McKinley; he had a thing that day and he couldn't move it.

Sadly, no character information was unveiled, but we have an idea how the actress could play into things. It's the very specific time period of Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later that likely informed the decision to cast Alyssa Milano in the first place. The upcoming season of the hit Netflix series will take place in the summer of 1991, which means that it will take place during the initial height of Milano's real life popularity on the ABC sitcom Who's the Boss? With that in mind, it seems like an incredibly clever move to cast a notable actress from the era to make an appearance in order to capitalize on 1990s nostalgia in a major way.

That being said, don't expect Alyssa Milano to exist merely as a prop for other characters to use for comedy. The actress has proven time and time again that she has the chops to hold her own and deliver the laughs with gusto. In addition to her aforementioned role on Who's The Boss? she has also taken on a number of comedic parts over the years, ranging from voice work on Family Guy to guest stints on live-action series like My Name Is Earl and Mr. Show with Bob and David, and Charmed was funny sometimes, too. To put it bluntly: she can hold her own against some of the best comedic talents in the industry. Expect no less this time around.

CinemaBlend will bring you any and all relevant information related to Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later (as well as Alyssa Milano's involvement in it) as more details become available to us. The series is expected to premiere next year. For now, make sure to check out our comprehensive fall TV premiere guide and fill out your television viewing schedules accordingly! Stay tuned for more details!

The Netflix Instant universe is vast, and full of many delights from all corners of cinema. Chances are, if you're in the mood for a certain genre, there's at least 11 movies that'll scratch the itch. Which is why, on a weekly basis, we here at Cinema Blend will bring you the 11 most interesting offerings in a genre, all of which are available for streaming through your Netflix account.

Last week, we scared you to the limits of your queue with our pick of 11 choice horror flicks, and this week, we're here to kick off your 4th of July weekend with some much needed laughter. After all, it's a holiday, and as such you owe it to yourself to enjoy your time off. So let us point out to you the following 11 films that'll keep you and yours occupied in-between grilling and going for a swim.

Coming To America

Eddie Murphy's rise to fame was at its peak in the 1980's, with films such as Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop, and Coming To America all making him a household name. However, it's this tale of a prince trying to avoid an arranged marriage, by posing as a pauper in New York, that helped Eddie become recognized for a rather important piece of his schtick: playing multiple characters in the same scene. In particular, the barber shop scene, which features a young Cuba Gooding Jr., also showcases Murphy and co-star Arsenio Hall, as several different people, all sharing a hilarious moment. While this may have peaked with The Nutty Professor, and completely collapsed under Norbit, it was a gag that made a killing in Coming To America, and shows just how great Eddie Murphy was in his prime.

Tommy Boy

With the second golden era of SNL in full swing, Lorne Michaels produced a couple of films starring members of the cast that made the 90's run of the popular comedy so rewarding. With Wayne's World already proven a hit, Michaels also took a chance with Tommy Boy, which starred Chris Farley and David Spade. Sometimes, a gamble pays off, and that's exactly what happened with this movie, as the story of a man armed with only his father's legacy, as well as his right hand man, sets off on a journey to keep the family business afloat. Of course, that's only the film's story on paper, and to ruin any of the classic jokes for any potential outsiders would be a sin. Be prepared to laugh, and miss Chris Farley all over again.

The Impostors

Now we're getting into the less traveled path, as we shift over to this hidden gem that's packed with a comedy cast for days! Now stay with us on this one: Oliver Platt and Stanley Tucci play a pair of down on their luck actors, who are on the run from angry Alfred Molina, and accidentally stow away on a cruise ship. Not only do they have to keep one step ahead of their rival, but they have to expose a pair of con artists (Richard Jenkins & Allison Janney,) avoid a horny tennis player (Billy Connolly,) and prevent the ship from blowing up at the hands of a saboteur. There's a lot going on in The Impostors, but believe us when we tell you, it's all worth taking in.

Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby

When you think Will Ferrell, you're either thinking one of two things: Ron Burgundy and uncontrollable screaming. Well, you'll definitely get one of those two things, as Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby has plenty of Ferrell's trademark freakouts, as well as some really good NASCAR related gags. The film shows the fall and rise of Ricky Bobby, a race car driver who loves to go fast and cash a check. Of course, this is all threatened when a hot French Formula 1 driver starts to shine just a little bit brighter than Ricky, triggering all sorts of madness. While it's not as remembered as Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Talladega Nights is a legend in its own right, especially considering what Ferrell and co-star John C. Reilly would go on to do with Step Brothers, two years later.

50 First Dates

Adam Sandler movies are easy targets as of late, so it's almost hard to remember a time when Sandler's presence meant that something funny was on its way. One of the last films that held the honor of that distinction was 50 First Dates, the film that reunited Sandler with his co-star from The Wedding Singer, Drew Barrymore. Barrymore plays Lucy, a woman with severe short term memory loss whom Sandler's Henry falls in love with. At times genuinely sweet, and laugh out loud funny, 50 First Dates reminds us of an Adam Sandler we miss a lot. If only he knew how to come back...

Silver Linings Playbook

Comedy is good for making us feel better when we're down, while Drama can be really good at helping us better understand just why we're down in the first place. It's the nexus of these two genres that creates the joyful experience that is Silver Linings Playbook. Bradley Cooper plays Pat, a man who's just gotten out of a psychiatric hospital after a traumatizing event. Through coincidence, and a couple of off-color outbursts here and there, Pat meets and bonds with Jennifer Lawrence's Tiffany, a woman with a short temper, and an equal amount of issues. Together the two swim through uncertain waters, as they prepare for a dance competition that'll change both of their lives. If you like laughs anchored with a lot of heart, this movie's for you.

Clerks

Before he became the independent film mogul he is today, Kevin Smith was a guy from New Jersey with a dream of making movies. After studying through copious amounts of both indie and blockbuster films, Smith made Clerks, a film that most still consider as the man's magnum opus. The story's simple: Dante and Randal, two store clerks in Jersey, gripe about work, life, and women through a day in the life of their dead end jobs. However, the true meat of the film comes from the epiphany that follows all of the dirty jokes and sharp snark that the film builds its foundation on. Without Clerks, the Smith formula would not exist, and the world of film would be a lot worse off for it.

Sixteen Candles

Another bedrock contributor to the landscape of comedy that just happens to have an entry on this list is none other than John Hughes. The man who brought us Weird Science, The Breakfast Club, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off pretty much invented, perfected, and ruled the teen comedy genre in the 80's. Submitted as further evidence of this fact is the film Sixteen Candles, which tells the story of young Sam (Molly Ringwald,) and the worst 16th birthday ever. With her sister getting married the day after, her birthday has pretty much fallen off the face of the map. But after the day she ends up having throughout the film, it'll be a day she'll never forget. It's funny, it's frantic, it's a movie where you can see baby-faced John Cusack and Anthony-Michael Hall be friends.

Bedazzled (1967)

Brexit. There, we said it, and you were probably thinking it after seeing Dudley Moore and Peter Cook in the photo above. However, we're not including Bedazzled on this list as a way of triggering thoughts about British political upheaval. In fact, we're including this on the list so you can completely forget about such matters, and enjoy a darkly funny tale about a short order cook, The Devil himself, and a series of wishes that could make a person swear off wishing. Taking aim against religion, pop stars, advertising, and even nature itself, Bedazzled is as sharp as Satan's pitchfork itself, and it hurts a lot less.

Heathers

If John Hughes' work on films like Sixteen Candles helped pioneer the feel-good teen comedy, then Daniel Waters' Heathers helped bring balance to the world with its dark and biting answer to that same genre. The world of Heathers is run by four girls who share that same name, and is shaken up after the group accepts Winona Ryder's character, Veronica, into their ranks. An outsider for most of her life, Veronica longed for a place among the popular girls, and finds herself wanting to become a geek again once the luster of the gig wears off. Of course, getting out of the web of murder, lies, and blackmail that she's walked right into won't be easy, but surely her boyfriend J.D. can help, right? If you like your teen movies with an edge, then Heathers is exactly what you're looking for.

Wet Hot American Summer

It's amazing what 15 years can do for a cast of up-and-coming comedy superstars. Wet Hot American Summer is one of those movies that you watch years after the fact, only to realize that a lot of your favorite actors were in it, waiting for you to discover them this whole time. Taking place during the last day of Camp Firewood's 1981 summer season, everything and anything happens during that final, fateful 24 hour period. Counselors hook-up, a can of vegetables becomes a source of inspiration, and SkyLab threatens to flatten a camp full of kids... all in a day's work for Camp Firewood. With appearances from Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, and Janeane Garafolo, as well as a ton of others, Wet Hot American Summer not only makes for a hysterical film, it's also spawned a great prequel in the Netflix series, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp. A fitting entertainment for the season that inspired it.

Few comedic movies have a cult following quite as strong as 2001’s Wet Hot American Summer. This almost cartoonish ensemble movie features an amazing cast, featuring a few unknowns who would eventually rise to A-list status. Last year Netflix, who seems to be cashing in on the trend of nostalgia and reboots to massive success, created a prequel television series featuring the original cast. That series, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day At Camp, was met with positive reviews, and now it appears that Netflix is planning to further expand the silly ensemble piece.

Netflix has just announced that a new season was ordered for the streaming service, titled Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later. In juxtaposition with the first season, which was a prequel to the 2001 film, the new series will allow the cast of actors to be a bit more age-appropriate in the adaptation of their signature characters. The prequel series completely ignored the actors’ ages, to hilarious results. 

The title for the second season comes from a pivotal scene from the film version of Wet Hot American Summer. Around the middle of the movie, the counselors discuss how they’re going to miss Camp Firewood and they decide to come back in 10 years and see how they’ve grown up. In fact, Netflix used that clip to announce the series renewal. Check it out.

Hilarious, right? That scene, which actually isn’t hugely important in the scope of all the craziness that happens in the movie, is the basis for what appears to be a growing anthology series for Netflix.

Wet Hot American Summer revolves around the teenage counselors and adult staff of a sleep-away summer camp in Maine called Camp Firewood. Rather than actually looking after the campers, the group gets into their own debauchery. They drink, have sex, go on adventures, and occasionally check in on the poor kids who they’re supposed to be helping. The tone is extremely silly, with plot lines including a talking can of vegetables (voiced by Bob’s Burgers voice actor H. Jon Benjamin) and government biological experiments.

The cast of both the film and Netflix’s anthology series is wide and contains some of the most brilliant comedic actors in Hollywood. Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Janeane Garofalo, Molly Shannon, David Hyde Pierce, and Michael Ian Black all make appearances as cartoonish characters. Additionally, the movie was one of the first professional credits for the likes of bonafide film stars like Bradley Cooper and Elizabeth Banks.

Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later will be released in its entirety sometime in 2017. No casting announcements have been made, although the first season was able to lock down all of the stars in some capacity, so things are looking hopeful. 

We’ll continue to update you on Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later as details become public to us. 

When you think back on the last five or ten years of your life, can you say that you look nearly identical to how you looked back then? In the world of television, there is sometimes a good amount of fluctuation involved in how our favorite characters are presented, from haircuts to glasses to personality-driven shifts in wardrobe, but there are always those characters that manage to look almost exactly the same from one season to the next.

Here are 9 characters from TV’s modern era that retained their core look throughout entire runs of a series. Some of these shows are still on the air, so they could technically introduce some major changes next season, but they probably won’t.

Phoebe (Friends)

From singing Smelly Cat to marrying Crap Bag, Phoebe Buffet managed to retain her basic look throughout 10 years of Friends. Lisa Kudrow never had her weight go up and down as one or two of her co-stars did, and even though she would sometimes switch up her hairstyles for certain episodes, it basically stayed the same throughout. And though it’s been over a decade since the show ended, Kudrow could still nail that role without any noticeable differences.

Carla (Cheers)

Throughout all 11 seasons of Cheers, Rhea Perlman’s Carla Tortelli was a firecracker of a woman, with a snappy personality that perfectly matched her look of frazzledly curly hair and bemused tight-lipped sneers. It’s impossible to think about what Carla could have done to switch up her appearance without looking completely bizarre, though I’m pretty sure she’d rock a mean mohawk. I like to think that’s what she’s got going now, 22 years after the show’s finale.

Sheldon (The Big Bang Theory)

Like almost everything about Big Bang Theory, from its geeked-out jokes to its massive ratings, the look of Sheldon Cooper has barely been altered in the show’s eight years. Which is probably fine to the T-shirt-donning Sheldon, since he might not adapt so well to change, or to people’s reactions to any changes. The same can’t be said for Kaley Cuoco’s Penny, though, whose dramatic haircut last year set TV audiences on fire.

Maria (Sesame Street)

If you’re going to pop into people’s houses on a daily basis to teach their children about basic skills like reading and counting, it’d certainly help to remain as familiar as possible, especially if it’s a gig that lasts well over 40 years. Such was the case with Sonia Manzano’s Maria on Sesame Street, whose main changes were that she got even warmer and classier in the years after debuting on the show in the early 1970s. We still can’t believe she’s not there anymore.

Jerry (Seinfeld)

What is the deal with looking exactly the same for all 9 years of Seinfeld? Jerry stayed single, thin and neat, with rarely a single hair changed on his head. (That’s different now, though.) I guess since part of his mission was to get into as many dismantleable relationships as possible, his signature look didn’t need to be altered. Still, that doesn’t stop me from wondering what Jerry would have looked like with a beard. That’d be worth an Elaine dance or two.

Anita (Law & Order)

Law & Order is one of the longest-running dramas in TV history, and S. Epatha Merkerson’s Lieutenant Anita Van Buren was on more episodes than any other character. And in those first 16 years, what was the main difference in her appearance? Her hair used to be a shade poofier in the past. Now, Season 20 was admittedly different, as she got cancer and lost her hair through chemotherapy. But it’s not like she started wearing a giant blue wig after that.

Andy (Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp)

Okay, so this character is something of an outlier on this list, as Paul Rudd’s Andy Fleckner first appeared in the 2001 film Wet Hot American Summer, and there were only 8 episodes of Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp. But 14 years passed in between those projects, and somehow Rudd managed to look even younger the second time he played the character. Which almost makes sense, since it’s a prequel series, but doesn’t make sense, because aging!

Jessica Fletcher (Murder, She Wrote)

For 12 seasons and four made-for-TV movies, Angela Lansbury’s Jessica Fletcher was a mystery writer getting caught up in real-life cases and doing better detective work than the actual detectives. And in all that time, she kept her winning smile just as intact as the short mop of hair on her head. Some people might have let massive fame get to them, with makeovers and other beautifying transformations, but Jessica kept it simple, unlike the murders she solved.

Marge (The Simpsons)

This might be a cheat, since Marge Simpson is an animated character, but she’s still been around for 26 years, and somehow Homer’s moronic actions haven’t continually forced her to pull her glorious blue locks out. The show does switch things up by giving us a younger Marge with long, flowing hair to counter her beehive, but she’s remained loyal to her motherly look – pearl necklace and all – throughout adulthood, which has kept her at roughly the same age in over 570 episodes of The Simpsons. So obviously Marge wins this list!

Wet hot American spoilers will follow, for those who haven’t watched the entire series yet.

Like Sisyphus trying to push a square boulder up a down escalator while wearing roller skates, trying to figure out the funniest part of Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp is seemingly an impossible task. The entire cast is impeccable, the jokes are almost too numerous to count, and the fast-paced situations are sublimely absurd. But if I had to pick one scene that spoke to my sense of humor above all others, it was the kitchen fight between Gene and The Falcon in the final episode. Gene-ius from the first second to the last.

The scene takes place after Christopher Meloni has foregone his private citizen alter ego Jonas and fully adapted to his soldier from The ‘Nam, and as Jon Hamm’s government assassin The Falcon has breached the campgrounds in order to retrieve Mitch, the toxic waste-created talking can of vegetables. The set-up is incredibly weird enough, and you just knew that the confrontation that followed would be as bonkers as every other extended sequence, such as the chase scene after Victor’s prank phone call about dickfarts and soup-related murder.

After a darkness-set annihilation of black-clad soldiers, Gene and the Falcon begin their face-off, which is set into motion by a kitchen knife coming very close to cutting off Gene’s jo-nads. I could have done with another five minutes of them throwing knives back and forth and catching them in in strange ways, but then things wouldn’t have escalated to the cookery-banging madness that followed.

The level of slapstick in this fight was top-notch, as the two men used all of their surroundings to beat the shit out of each other without anyone getting seriously injured. Pots, pans, spoons, a phone, a refrigerator door, a baking sheet and more were used, but somehow no pottery. The two best moments were Gene flipping over and under the table to kick Falcon in the stomach, and then him crashing into the rack and having a pot fall perfectly onto his head. This is as close to Looney Tunes as Wet Hot American Summer can get, and its simplistic stupidity had me rolling.

Alas, it isn’t even just the fight itself that makes this scene so memorable and awesome. As the pot-headed Gene is blindly swinging his fists and feet, he runs into the fridge, and you KNOW how Gene feels about fridges. Though it’s only for a brief second before the Falcon knocks him out, we get to see one of this series’ most romantic moments as Gene starts to get his hump on. And it looks like Falcon is well aware of Gene’s particular fetish, too, making me wonder how many times Gene has given his big speech from the movie. Can we get a spinoff about this guy at some point?

All in all, while not as technically sound or as lengthy as the amazing hallway fight in Daredevil, this Wet Hot American Summer brawl may be my favorite confrontation of any current Netflix series. Of course, then there’s the punch-off between Paul Rudd’s Andy and Josh Charles’ Blake during the battle between the camps later in the same episode. But this one is better, especially since both Gene and the Falcon were actually on the same side, making the entire fight moot. I should probably watch it all again just to make sure though.

Hunker down for doinkage, as all 8 episodes of Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp are there for your peepers to peep on.

When Wet Hot American Summer premiered over a decade ago, it found a cult audience through its wild premise, which basically followed a slew of camp counselors in their thirties playing teenagers. Now the whole cast is returning for Netflix’s Wet Hot American Summer: First Day at Camp, and executive producer and actor Michael Showalter is happy to explain exactly why it doesn’t matter how old the cast looks.

The original movie has slowly turned into a cult classic over the years. When it first premiered, it was far too weird to attract a wide audience. Between the drug use, heavy swearing, talking can and general weirdness, it went right over most people’s heads. To weirdo comedy fans, however, something about it just clicked. The outrageous comedy has been slowly passed around in the years since, and now, the cast, despite producing some of the most famous actors in the world, has come back together for a prequel. That wouldn’t make sense for other movies, but as Michael Showalter said, Wet Hot American Summer is all about coming along for the ride.

Plus, apparently some of the actors haven’t really aged in more than a decade, so the whole aging thing should be even less of a big deal. A few days ago, Bradley Cooper talked about how Paul Rudd hasn’t aged a day since the first Wet Hot American Summer was made, and we have the photo evidence to prove it. We’ll go ahead and let you know the new image is on the right, but without that knowledge, it’s really difficult to tell by Rudd’s features alone which picture is older (although graininess is another thing).

That’s almost spooky, and it deserves some kind of praise for Paul Rudd and his parents genes that have made that magic happen. In all honesty though, the rest of the cast looks pretty damn good too, starting with Bradley Cooper who could still pass for late 20s in the right role, or in this case, sixteen. If you'd like to learn more about what's coming up with the episodes, you can catch the full interview over at TV Line.

Wet Hot American Summer premieres on Netflix on Friday, July 31 at 12:01 p.m. In addition, you can check out the other upcoming Netflix premiere dates with our handy premiere schedule.

Months ago, we learned that Wet Hot American Summer: First Day At Camp managed to get the original camp members back for the revival. This time around, leads from Amy Poehler to Bradley Cooper are still playing the youthful camp instructors they played in the original film years ago. However, while most of the actors and actresses have aged since Wet Hot American Summer originally premiered, Bradley Cooper recently explained which of the cast members hasn’t aged at all since Wet Hot American Summer initially premiered. The answer? Paul Rudd has obviously kept his youthful looks.

New episodes of Wet Hot American Summer: First Day at Camp won’t premiere on Netflix until this Friday, but we have seen the full trailer from the upcoming TV series, which means we’ve gotten a good look at Paul Rudd’s Andy character already and capably compared the 32-year-old Paul Rudd with the 46-year-old Paul Rudd that is a part of the new series. Yeah, that’s right. Paul Rudd is 46 and we bet it’s not easy to tell which picture, below, was shot fourteen years ago and which picture was taken only recently. (We’ll just go ahead and tell you: The new one’s on the right.)

I actually almost think that Rudd looks fitter now than he looked 14 years ago, although that may have more to do with First Day of Camp being shot after Rudd got in shape for Marvel’s Ant-Man, which went into production some time ago but was only recently released in theaters. Or maybe Rudd simply hasn't aged, a little like Jurassic World's B.D. Wong.

Obviously, some of the other people on the new series don't look as old as they actually are, either. That, or the show’s makeup department just did some solid work. It’s probably a little of both. To see what the rest of the gang looks like 14 years later, you can check out the new behind-the-scenes segment from Netflix.

In addition, new episodes of Wet Hot American Summer: First Day at Camp premiere on Friday, July 31 at 12:01 a.m. PT. If you’d like to see what else is coming up this summer, head here or go ahead and check out our fall TV premiere schedule.

We’ve been waiting to see actual footage for Netflix’s upcoming Wet Hot American Summer series for months. The cult David Wain flick is being made into a TV series and we’ve known for a while now that a slew of big names would be involved, including a whole bunch of brand new faces. But knowing something and seeing something is totally different. You can give the first full-length Wet Hot American Summer trailer a watch, below.

So far, Netflix hasn't divulged a ton of details about Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, but the trailer helps us to see what we can expect. First and foremost, the camp kids are back, and they are all a LOT older. Early on H. John Benjamin’s character warns off the kids, telling them there will absolutely, under no circumstances be any sexual activity with the counselors. Obviously, shenanigans are likely to ensue. The rest of the trailer is filled with ridiculous jokes and reintroductions to our favorite cast of characters, including Andy (Paul Rudd), who crashes a motorcycle when he shows up to camp.

Elsewhere, Susie (Amy Poehler) and Ben (Bradley Cooper) seem up to their usual camp counselor shenanigans, putting on performances and more. Ben is still spending an awful lot of time with McKinley (Michael Ian Black), and sometimes shiny costumes are involved.

And there seems to be some ridiculous subplot with camp cook Gene (Christopher Meloni) and some skills he picked up when he was signed on with the US armed forces. At some point, Jon Hamm’s Falcon character will enter the picture, and it looks like we are in for a good old fashioned fight scene.

Seriously, the list of famous people involved with Netflix’s upcoming series is insane. It includes all of the original cast members like Janeane Garafalo, Paul Rudd, Marguerite Moreau, Christopher Meloni, Ken Marino, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Michael Ian Black, Judah Friedlander, David Hyde Pierce, Elizabeth Banks and so many more we’d probably strain your eyes if we typed them all. Plus, a ton of newbies decided to get involved with the new episodes, including Jordan Peele, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Jason Schwartzman and plenty of others. Here's a poster featuring the cast, to give you an idea of the number of people involved.

The show accommodated a ton of actor’s schedules to get them on board for the Netflix series, and it sounds like it is going to be great. With a little luck, maybe it will be the sort of project that makes a cult classic a little more mainstream.

Wet Hot American Summer is set to premiere on Netflix on July 31, which is much earlier than expected, but fitting for a show that is about summer camp. For now, you can watch the original movie on Netflix, and check out what the streaming service has coming up in 2015, here.

The networks, cable stations and streaming services have been beefing up their respective summer lineups in recent years. And while old standbys like True Blood may be out the door, this summer there’s a ton of programming that still deserves your attention. We’ve culled through the 2015 summer TV premiere schedule, looking through all the new and critically acclaimed shows to bring you a look at the programs we feel represent the summer's best. After a lot of careful thought, some rowdy debates and plenty of passionate speeches, we’ve put together a list of the 5 shows you have to be watching this summer.

Mr. Robot

Premiere Date: Wednesday, June 24

Where Is It Airing?: USA

Initially premiering at SXSW, USA’s new drama Mr. Robot managed to take the critical world by storm, and it’s no wonder. The pilot is one of the sharpest and most intriguing we’ve seen, with an excellent performance by lead Rami Malek. It pops up in the schedule this week, so tune in and give USA’s bid for higher stakes TV a shot.

Wayward Pines

Premiere Date: Thursday, May 14

Where Is It Airing?: Fox

Wayward Pines was an early addition to the summer lineup, hitting the schedule back in May. M. Night Shyamalan directed the pilot as well as executive produced the twisted series, which stars a ton of incredible actors, including Matt Dillon, Terrence Howard, Juliette Lewis, Shannyn Sossaman, Carla Gugino, Toby Joes and Melissa Leo. If you’ve missed the drama so far, it isn’t too late. All of the first five full episodes are available to watch on Fox’s site, and other outlets, like Hulu, can also help you to catch up on the series. There’s a new episode airing on Thursday, so hop to it!

Wet Hot American Summer

Premiere Date: Friday, July 17

Where Is It Airing?: Netflix

The Wet Hot American Summer movie has built a niche fanbase over the years, and while we don’t expect Wet Hot American Summer to be the most popular hit of the summer, all factors indicate the Netflix comedy should be great. The original cast is back, and we’re not talking just a few people, we’re talking all of the original cast, including the likes of Bradley Cooper and Amy Poehler, not to mention newbies Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig and Jon Hamm. Bingewatch to your heart’s content, starting next month.

Fear The Walking Dead

Premiere Date: August 2015

Where Is It Airing?: AMC

Despite having a ridiculous title, we’re pretty excited about The Walking Dead spinoff Fear The Walking Dead. AMC has kept quite a few details about the spinoff under wraps, but we’ve still learned some interesting tidbits about the upcoming series, including the fact that it will be set in Los Angeles and will look at the dawn of the walkers in a different manner.

Ballers

Premiere Date:Sunday, June 21

Where Is It Airing?: HBO

Ballers is another summer program that has already hit the schedule, but this one just premiered on Sunday, so you haven’t missed much, yet. The new series stars Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as a former NFL player who is now getting into the world of money management. With its Miami setting, it’s a slightly more dazzling Entourage, and it features a pretty great cast (Yeah, I’ll defend my love for Rob Corddry). Catch up with it on On Demand, or via HBO Go and HBO Now, today.

Other Honorable Mentions:

The Strain Season 2, FX

Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll, FX

Zoo, CBS

Humans, AMC

From being named People’s “Sexiest Man Alive” to earning three consecutive Oscar nominations, Bradley Cooper has had quite an interesting career. His big blue eyes have always won over the hearts of swooning fans, but Cooper had to pay his dues for many years to lead up to the critical-acclaim he has earned today. With roles such as the distant war hero Chris Kyle in the controversial American Sniper to a struggling bipolar man just released from a psychiatric hospital in Silver Linings Playbook, Cooper has shown a range of acting skills in the last few years that arguably had not been expected in the past.

The 40-year-old actor had his up and downs, starring in minor roles of a diverse assortment of characters. Living past the pretty-boy persona can be a difficult feat but despite Cooper’s own personal struggles he has far surpassed that, showing the world that he is a capable and talented actor. His days of being the beau to some famous actress are over, and now he is front and center. So here are 10 awesome things you probably never knew about Bradley Cooper.

He Auditioned For Green Lantern

Though talks of Bradley Cooper in the running for an upcoming Green Lantern role are currently traveling through the internet, this wouldn’t be the first time the actor auditioned for the part. Back in 2009, Cooper was a frontrunner against Ryan Reynolds for the titular role in Green Lantern. He told Conan O’Brien on The Tonight Show (via MTV) that during his audition he couldn’t help but imitate Christian Bale’s Batman:

He Gained 40 Pounds For His American Sniper Role

For his role as Chris Kyle, Bradley Cooper put on about 40 pounds of pure muscle to resemble the war hero. He had two workouts a day of two hours each and instead of having a year, Cooper only had three months of prep before shooting started. Cooper told Vanity Fair that during his workouts he listened to the exact same playlist that Chris Kyle had when he worked out in between shifts as a navy SEAL. He ate 5,000 calories a day and by the end of his time working out he was able to deadlift 415 pounds for five sets of eight reps. He even learned how to hold and shoot the various weapons Kyle used from former navy Seals who served with him. He kept in character the entire shoot.

He Missed Graduation To Be In Wet Hot American Summer

While Bradley Cooper was finishing up his MFA at The New School, he was beginning his acting career. He had taken some small guest role appearances on TV shows and even served as a presenter for a travel-adventure series called Globe Trekker But his film debut came in the cult classic comedy, Wet Hot American Summer. The problem was that filming happened to be right around the time Cooper graduated. He joked with GQ saying he missed his graduation to “get fucked in the ass by Michael Ian Black”.

He Asked J.J. Abrams To Write Him Off Alias

Bradley Cooper asked J.J. Abrams to write him off of Alias because he thought that he was going to fire him anyways. He explained in his GQ interview that his part grew less substantial as the show progressed and it nearly ended his career. Because of his aggravation he asked to be written off despite having no future jobs lined up, and within a couple weeks he ended up tearing his Achilles while playing basketball and spend the next year on his couch debating whether or not to quit acting all together.

His Most Difficult Role Was In The Hangover

For an actor who has played a bipolar man, an experienced war hero, and an FBI agent, it’s hard to believe that Bradley Cooper’s found his most difficult role to be that of a sunglass-rocking teacher named Phil. Cooper told The Guardian that his role in the box office hit The Hangover was actually his most difficult yet. He said:

James Lipton Knew He’d Be Famous

James Lipton, host of Inside the Actors Studio predicted Bradley Cooper’s stardom. Not only was he sitting in on the auditions during Cooper’s application to the masters program, but he was particularly drawn to Cooper’s performance. According to Vanity Fair, after Cooper’s master’s thesis performance (which he performed scenes from The Elephant Man) Cooper’s mother asked Lipton what he thought and Lipton responded:

He Was In Sex And The City And Learned To Drive Stick

Bradley Cooper’s first TV appearance when he moved to New York was in an early episode of Sex and the City where he played one of Sarah Jessica Parker’s hunky love interests. Cooper told The Guardian that upon landing the role there was one very specific thing that it required, “no tongues”. In a Backstage interview he divulged that he had a big problem with his newly earned role though, in that he didn’t know how to drive stick shift. He quickly went to a driving school in Manhattan, but it didn’t work out too well, and a stand-in had to drive instead.

He Knew He Wanted To Be An Actor After Seeing Elephant Man

Bradley Cooper knew he wanted to be an actor after seeing David Lynch’s The Elephant Man when he was 12 years old. He told Vanity Fair that he was sitting on the red couch in his living room sobbing and aware of the dignity and humanity of John Merrick, even though Cooper himself was still so young. And Cooper actually just recently revived the role of John Merrick in the Broadway revival of the Bernard Pomerance play The Elephant Man.

He Was A Doorman At Morgans Hotel When He First Moved To New York

When he moved New York to study acting at the New School, Bradley Cooper worked nights at the Morgans Hotel in Manhattan. He told Esquire that every night he carried had to carry a bunch matches and as a new guest was welcomed he would have to relight all the votive candles and scurry to the door for them. Many celebrities stayed there as well, and one night he welcomed Leonardo DiCaprio who was hot off his Titanic role, and all Bradley could think about was how different the two actors were.

He’s Super Smart

Not only is Bradley Cooper fluent in French (which has blown up the internet), but he also graduated with honors from Georgetown with an English degree. He told GQ he wrote his thesis on Nabokov's Lolita and he didn’t participate in much drama in high school or at Georgetown, but was more of an athlete up until he went for his MFA. Cooper somewhat randomly applied for his master’s at the Actors Studio Drama School in New York almost as a joke, but ended up getting in. Even during his acting career he has contemplated going back to school to get his Ph.D. in English and teaching literature.

Bradley Cooper has kept a very busy schedule in recent months, much of this due to starring in the award-nominated film American Sniper, as well as his stint on Broadway performing in the stage adaptation of The Elephant Man. So, when the actor confirmed he was going to reprise his role as Ben in David Wain's Netflix series adaptation of Wet Hot American Summer, naturally we had our doubts as to whether or not he would be able to find the time. As it turns out, the actor was able to find just one single day to work on the set.

Shockingly though, Cooper is a man of purpose, and was able to shoot numerous scenes in his single day on set. Yes, it sounds hard to believe that an actor taking part in an eight-episode series could shoot all of his scenes in one day... but we're talking about Bradley Cooper. Need I remind you, this is the guy who played Eddie Morra in Limitless? Just because he was able to fit all his scenes into a single day of shooting doesn't mean he is missing from a number of the show's upcoming episodes, either. As Vulture reports, Wain and his co-writer Michael Showalter did heavy pre-planning to assure they plotted out filming schedules that could accommodate for Cooper's tight schedule (along with the schedules of the many other busy actors and actresses appearing in the series). Therefore, the actor is expected to appear in multiple episodes, some with reaction shots from his fellow actors, who filmed their material weeks in advance and some with true multi-actor interactions.

It was specifically noted that Cooper will be onscreen with Amy Poehler, who is set to reprise her role of the over-the-top director Beth. It also sounds like Cooper may have gotten up close and personal again with Michael Ian Black's character, McKinley, so fans can certainly look forward to more musky tube-socked encounters between the two as they encounter one another on the first day of camp in the upcoming prequel series.

Not only did Cooper cram in all of his shooting into a single day, the actor reportedly had to reschedule his trip to Los Angeles (where the series was filmed) due to his stage commitments on The Elephant Man. Prior to that his run of success with American Sniper forced him to rearrange his schedule, missing his one-day shoot in New York with Poehler on standby, to fly to Los Angeles for the Academy Awards ceremony. In the end, thought, the actor pulled it all together, getting every one of his scenes in the can on Wet Hot's final day of shooting, Feb. 26.

Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, starring the entire original top-notch cast (and a whole bunch of A-Listers), debuts on Netflix on July 17, 2015.

While some may believe cinema to be far superior to television by default, anyone who's been paying attention to what's happening on the small screen in recent years likely knows that television has raised its game in many respects, including the talent it showcases and good storytelling in general. Patton Oswalt has been paying attention, and the comedian/writer/actor recently went on an epic Twitter rant to express his appreciation for what the small screen has to offer, dropping more than a few titles in the process. Among them, Broad City, Bob's Burgers, Hannibal, Better Call Saul and more...

Uproxx caught wind of Oswalt's excellent TV-themed tirade, which began -- and could have easily ended -- last night with the following statement...

Oswalt may have been watching AMC's Better Call Saul at the time, as he followed this up with some praise for Michael McKean.

And from there, it was a nod to Comedy Central's Broad City...

Followed by love for John Oliver's excellent weekly HBO news series Last Week Tonight...

And then HBO's Togetherness...

And then he jumps around, moving from Comedy Central to some of TV's promising superhero offerings, to basic cable's darker shows, and the back to network TV for more humor...

It's at this point that Oswalt declares TV's current phase as "American cinema in the early 70s"...

He actually apologizes for the "feed-choking" rant after that, but then remembers he has a ton of other great shows lined up and waiting for him in his DVR...

He also shows some love for some kids programming (and True Detective)...

Not to be forgotten is Hannibal...

It's that remark that strikes me as particularly interesting, not only because I'm sure Hannibal fans will appreciate the high praise, but also because it points out what's been staring us in the face for some time now. TV is doing great things. What's more, the lines between the big and small screen seem to be getting a bit blurrier. We have networks like HBO distributing feature-quality films, and Netflix lining up big deals with the likes of Adam Sandler to bring movies directly to the small screen. And then, we have only to look at any of the shows Patton Oswalt listed among his favorites to note that TV has raised its game dramatically, and the medium isn't likely to be done evolving anytime soon.

Beyond loving that Oswalt shared some love for some of TV's best offerings, these tweets are a reminder of why I'm a fan of Oswalt - because he's a fan. Though he's found his own success as an actor, it's evident that he remains an enthusiastic spectator of the arts as well, and he's not above sharing his thoughts on the things that work (and sometimes the things that don't).

And now I'd like to see him show up in every one of the shows he's listed (a couple of which he actually has shown up in, come to think of it).

Update:Just as an FYI, Netflix has updated its schedule and pushed the premiere back to July 31. You can check out all of the summer TV premiere dates, updated, here.

There’s great news for fans of Netflix today. No, we aren’t talking about the House of Cards Season 3 release—although that has been awesome. Today, Netflix released its list of summer premieres, and fans of the upcoming Wet Hot American Summer TV series should be super pleased to see the upcoming series on the schedule among a few other big shows. Wet Hot American Summer: First Day At Camp will premiere on Netflix on July 17.

When we first began hearing about a potential Wet Hot American Summer TV series way back in May of last year, we knew that Netflix was interested in picking the project up and the Wet Hot American Summer cast would hopefully be on board. However, nothing moved forward regarding the TV series until December, when new reports indicated the show would start production in 2015.

Apparently, Netflix has a pretty quick turnaround time when the company really wants a program to air. It’s actually pretty incredible, considering the original cast from the movies, including people like Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Elizabeth Banks, Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni and Molly Shannon almost all decided to come back for another round. In addition to the entire original cast, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day at Camp will also feature Jon Hamm, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Jason Schwartzman and more. It’s a huge feat to get a new TV series to capably come together with that many famous people involved, not to mention for it to happen so quickly. As such, it's pretty clear just what a passion project it was for all of these people to return. No way working out the schedules didn't require some serious sacrifices.

Netflix also announced the premiere dates for a slew of summer programs, including comedy specials and more. Chief among these other premiere dates is the Orange Is The New Black Season 3 premiere, which will hit the schedule on June 12. Other summer shows include Between and Sense8, which hit the schedule in May and June, respectively.

If you hopped into this article looking for Marvel’s Daredevil premiere date or some of the premiere dates for other Netflix original programs, you aren’t losing your eyesight. While today’s big Netflix premiere date releases are the focus of this article, we’ve been keeping a handy schedule of all of Netflix’s upcoming 2015 premiere dates. Additionally, you can catch our full 2015 midseason TV premiere schedule, here.

Considering the planet-sized amount of excitement that we already have for Netflix’s upcoming limited series Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, it was presumed nothing else could possibly expand that jubilation. Cue the “wrong” buzzer, because the series just picked up four amazing new cast members to add to the 1981 hullabaloo: Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig, Jason Scwartzman and Jon “My Charm Can End Wars” Hamm.

I’d watch a depressing holocaust movie with these actors, so having them join the greatest camp comedy ever – take that, Meatballs! – is almost unbelievable. As was previously announced, the plot behind this revival won’t occur any time after the last day of camp (when the film took place), but somehow on the first day of camp. Just in case you thought anything but the star power in this show would be serious. While this thespian foursome’s characters don’t get huge descriptions, Deadline did eke a few details out of the fray.

Wiig, who was just officially cast as part of the new Ghostbusters squad, is set to play a stuck-up counselor for Camp Tiger Claw, the rival camp that ends up beating Camp Firewood by forfeit in the championship baseball game in the film. Wiig should be brilliant for this, and I hope that she and Janeane Garofalo get into some kind of a brawl over David Hyde Pierce.

Schwartzman, who can currently be seen in theaters in Tim Burton’s Big Eyes, will reportedly be playing the head counselor of the boy’s camp. It’s inevitably hilarious any time the actor takes on an authoritative role, as his stature doesn’t quite come off as menacing. Will he be more interested in keeping the campers in line, or just his fellow counselors like Andy and McKinley?

Hamm, who will return to the iconic role of Don Draper when Mad Men finally finishes its sixth season later this year, is said to be playing a secret spy. Considering there’s absolutely no reason why a spy would need to (or want to) be anywhere near Camp Firewood, I have to imagine this will be one of the more outlandish plotlines, assuming it isn’t just a one-off cameo. Hamm is known for those.

Pine, whose sci-fi feature Z for Zachariah premiered at Sundance recently, is given the vaguest description of them all: he’s “mysterious.” Though more known for dramatic works like the Star Trek films, Pine was a shining light in Horrible Bosses 2 and knows how to draw a smile out. Still, he’s probably the least funny person involved in this project.

Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp is bringing back the entire cast of the first film – hinted at in the teaser trailer – along with some other new faces. Here’s a full-ish list of who we can expect to find: Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Michael Ian Black, Elizabeth Banks, David Hyde Pierce, Janeane Garofalo, Judah Friedlander, Paul Rudd, A.D. Miles, Christopher Meloni, Molly Shannon, Kevin Sussman, H. Jon Benjamin, Michael Showalter, David Wain, Michaela Watkins, John Slattery, Lake Bell, Paul Scheer, Randall Park, Josh Charles, Jayma Mays, Richard Schiff and Rob Huebel. (Gasp. Gasp.)

Expect to find all the camp shenanigans and corny montages you can handle when Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp hits Netflix this summer.

One of the greatest comedies that’s ever existed – and if you’ve got a problem with that, you can suck on a talking can of vegetables – Wet Hot American Summer is coming back to audiences as a Netflix prequel series. And while we won’t get to see the actual show until later this year, we have our first sun-covered taste with the teaser below.

Set to the “get your ass up and dance” jams of the film’s song “Higher and Higher,” the teaser for Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp does little more than take audiences back to those oh-so-familiar cabins of Camp Firewood, in the oh-so-familiar time of 1981. But I’d be lying if I said that long tracking shot up to the wall-carved words wasn’t enough to launch my excitement into the stratosphere.

If the return to this iconic location wasn’t enough, how about that stacked list of cast members returning for this limited series? Those listed include Elizabeth Banks, Michael Ian Black, Bradley Cooper, Judah Friedlander, Janeane Garofalo, Jo Lo Truglio, Ken Marino, Christopher Meloni, Marguerite Moreau, Zak Orth, Amy Poehler, David Hyde Pierce, Paul Rudd, Molly Shannon, and Michael Showalter. And what’s more, A.D. Miles, Kevin Sussman, and H. Jon Benjamin will also be back to reprise their characters. I’m trying to think of a way that this could be terrible, and all I’m coming up with is “we find out this is all one big government-sanctioned prank on good people everywhere.”

Almost as amazing as the show’s existence is how it will be handling the storytelling. Instead of catching up with these characters 30+ years down the road, First Day of Camp will actually take place on the dawn of the 1981 camp season, putting these actors (who were already older than the counselors they were playing) as days younger than they were in the first film, even though they’ll actually be 14 or 15 years older. (And light years more famous, many of them.) That’s called comedy, people.

I’m picking up on some psychic energies that everyone wants to watch the amazing montage from the film, in which “Higher and Higher” is used perfectly, and Chris Meloni is a sage mentor. “Show me the fevahhh!”

Joining Netflix’s growing comedy slate that includes Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and Flaked, Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp will premiere all eight episodes on the streaming service this summer. Get your bug juice and dick cream ready.

It was in 2001 that David Wain first introduced us to the comedic cult family of characters in his feature film Wet Hot American Summer. Now, almost a decade and a half later he has struck a deal with Netflix, filming has reportedly begun on the project and most of the original cast is set to return.

According to Deadline, the 8-episode limited series will be based on the original film and will feature the cast (presumably in their original roles), almost in its entirety. That in itself should have fans of the pre-existing film salivating but let’s look a little bit closer as to who exactly has been confirmed for the project.

*The following actors/actresses have all been confirmed for the project. It is presumed they will return as their original characters.

Elizabeth Banks originally played the role of Lindsay.

H. Jon Benjamin originally voiced the “Can of Vegetables.”

Michael Ian Black originally played the shorty shorts-wearing McKinley.

Bradley Cooper originally filled the shoes of Ben. Will we see more of the McKinley bromance? One can only hope!

Judah Friedlander originally played the role of Ron von Kleinenstein.

Janeane Garofalo originally played the role of Beth.

Nina Hellman originally played Nancy.

Ken Marino originally played Victor Kulak. Let’s hope he will bring his iconic afro back with him.

Zak Orth originally played J.J.

David Hyde Pierce originally played the role of Henry Newman.

Joe LoTruglio originally played the thick spectacle-wearing Neil.

Christopher Meloni originally played camp chef Gene.

A.D. Miles originally played the role of Gary.

Marguerite Moreau originally played Katie.

Amy Poehler originally filled the shoes of Susie.

Paul Rudd originally filled the role of Andy.

Marisa Ryan originally played Abby Bernstein.

Molly Shannon originally played the role of Gail von Keinentein.

Michael Showalter originally played both Gerald ‘Coop’ Cooperberg and Alan Shemper.

Kevin Sussman originally filled the role of Steve.

Wain and Showalter, who together wrote the script for the original Wet Hot American Summer, will take on duties as the limited series’ creators, with Wain set to reprise his role as director. The duo will be executive producing the prequel series, alongside Howard Bernstein, Jonathan Stern and Peter Principato.

Wet Hot American Summer follows a group of counselors as they try to take care of unfinished business on their last day of Jewish summer camp. While not a box office hit, the film gathered a cult following on the home-viewing market.

Many of the cast have gone on to have extremely successful careers, most notably Bradley Cooper (Wedding Crashers, Silver Linings Playbook), Amy Poehler (Parks and Recreation) and Paul Rudd (Role Models), the latter two whom co-starred in Wain’s most recent feature They Came Together. Michael Ian Black (The Gaffigan Show), Ken Marino (Marry Me, Togetherness) and Joe Lo Truglio (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) have also been gaining traction in recent years.

This isn’t the first time the cast has reunited. In August of 2011 many of them gathered at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn to celebrate the movie’s 10th anniversary. The original cast also pulled together in January of 2012 to perform at the San Francisco Sketchfest for a live radio play version of the film.

See the trailer for the original film below.

It looks as if Netflix is definitely picking up the Wet Hot American Summer project fans have been looking forward to. This week, we learned that Netflix has signed on for a miniseries based on the cult movie, which follows a group of camp counselors who get up to shenanigans while simultaneously being responsible for the lives of children.

Netflix hasn’t spoken out about whether or not Wet Hot American Summer is officially moving forward, but a new report over at E! indicates that not only is a miniseries happening, but that it is going into production in January. So far, none of the show’s original cast has been officially confirmed for the new miniseries.

Although few details have come forth about the Wet Hot American Summer project, a miniseries is not out of the question. Those in the know, including co-writer David Wain and co-writer Michael Showalter, have long spoken about a potential for a Wet Hot American Summer reunion. Back in May, Netflix was already looking to turn Wet Hot American Summer into a TV series (I guess now that’s changed to a miniseries). The good news doesn’t stop there, however.

Over the summer, Showalter spoke out to explain that he hopes most of the core cast will return for the series, which is expected to be set on the first day of camp in 1981, with flashbacks to that year. At that same time, Showalter said he would be uninterested if the core cast decided not to return, which is a big deal, considering the cast includes such popular names as Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Christopher Meloni, Elizabeth Banks, Ken Marino, Janeane Garofalo, Michael Ian Black, Jo Lo Truglio and more. Obviously, a lot of those people have moved on to successful film and TV careers, making scheduling a potential logistical nightmare for Netflix if all or most of the original cast members do decide to return. (On the bright side, Parks and Recreation just wrapped up its final day on set, so Poehler should be fairly easy to schedule.)

This isn't the first time a potential follow-up to Wet Hot American Summer has come to light. A potential prequel film was a possibility as early as 2011, and the gang began speaking more seriously about the possibility in 2012. Obviously, scheduling has been difficult and none of the former projects came to fruition, but a miniseries over at Netflix seems like an ideal situation. It could even be shot with different actors at different times—sort of how Arrested Development was able to bring back the cast for its Netflix reunion. Regardless of how the miniseries eventually pans out, it’s nice that the ball finally seems to be rolling.

I’ve so extremely excited about Netflix's upcoming Wet Hot American Summer prequel series that I’ve already filled up two gournals writing about it. Michael Showalter, the film’s co-writer (and founding member of the stellar sketch group/series The State), recently gave fans more to think about as far as how the Wet Hot series is going to pan out, with all of the stars being nearly 15 years older. And guess what? The entire season is going to take place on the first day of camp! Also, they’re thinking about making a State movie! Exclamations all around!

Speaking with Crave Online about David Wain’s upcoming rom-com spoof They Came Together, Showalter doesn’t shy away from talking details about the prequel series, at least what details there are. He says no scripts have been written yet, but there’s an outline that involves all of these amazing characters arriving at camp for the first day of the 1981 summer season, with potential flashbacks sprinkled throughout.

The most complicated aspect of this project is pulling the massive cast back together, as most of them have gone on to even bigger careers, including Amy Poehler, Christopher Meloni, Bradley Cooper and Paul Rudd. But there are no worries about anyone backing out, as Showalter says, “we wouldn’t have wanted to do it if we couldn’t get everybody. So we did our due diligence before the fact and everyone wants to do it.” Everyone! I wonder if that means H. Jon Benjamin will be back as everybody’s favorite auto-fellating can of veg.

Lesser comedians might feel hampered by the age factor, but Showalter says they’re “not going to try to make everything make sense,” and while the series will probably revolve around a central plot, he says it’s “more just an opportunity to bring the cast back together and tell more stories about these camp kids.” There aren’t that many projects out there that would be as forgiving with such loose formatting, but Wet Hot American Summer is perfect for it. The careers of Michael Ian Black, Ken Marino, Joe Lo Truglio and A.D. Miles (among others) are filled with silly movies and series that spin reality around on its head.

And you know what else has the potential to split reality in two? The State as a movie. While his words are in no way a confirmation that anyone is actually putting the project together, Showalter says the idea is floating around.

The only thing stopping Wet Hot American Summer right now is scheduling, so get your paperclips and soot together as we anticipate this slow-moving trek towards summer freedom!

Is David Wain’s Wet Hot American Summer finally getting the prequel/sequel/extension rabid fans have been begging for? That appears to be the case, though believe me, we have been fooled before, so our guard is staying up.

This all went down last night on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, where Wet Hot writer Michael Showalter, responding to a Twitter inquiry about a sequel, answered in the positive. “Absolutely, yes,” he said. “One hundred percent yes. The whole gang — everyone is back. We’re doing it.” (See for yourself right here.)

By “the whole gang,” he means an all-star cast of comedic players, including Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Elizabeth Banks, Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Chris Meloni and Molly Shannon, to name a few. And it was the headache-inducing process of juggling everyone’s schedules that stood in the way of this project moving forward. At least, we think that’s what the problem was. Who really knows, for sure?

Certainly not original cast member Michael Ian Black, who Tweeted in response to Showalter’s off-the-cuff announcement, “I just found out there's going to be a ‘Wet Hot American Summer’ sequel from @mshowalter on TV. Apparently, I'm not in it.” He later added, “I really don't think this is true.”

So is it? Like I said, I’m being cautiously optimistic. The Wet Hot sequel slowly is becoming the Arrested Development of movie projects, with so many people both inside and outside of the project making promises that nobody knows what to believe until we’re actually sitting in a theater, waiting for the movie to start. Confirmation from Showalter seems like a solid place to hang our hats, but would he really drops such a bomb on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live? I guess we’ll have to just sit back and watch what happens. Live.

This week Paul Rudd grows a beard and some hippie hair and harasses his sisters in Our Idiot Brother, the Sundance comedy picked up by the Weinstein Company. It's only the latest in a string of slam-dunk comedic roles from Rudd, who started off as every 15-year-old's dream boyfriend in Clueless, then was rescued from a string of bland rom-com roles when he got picked up by seemingly every funny bunch of comedians making movies, from The State guys and Wet Hot American Summer to Judd Apatow and his ever-expanding empire.

But with so much Rudd goodness to enjoy, how can you possibly choose a favorite? Is there even any way to pit Anchorman's Brian Fantana against I Love You Man's Peter Klaven? It may be a foolish effort, but we here at Cinema Blend are going to try it anyway. Every day this week we'll present you with an argument for a certain role as being Paul Rudd's best. You can vote in the poll at the bottom and let us know your own thoughts, but remember, we're going in chronological order, so just because your favorite hasn't yet come up doesn't mean it won't (If you're holding your breath for How Do You Know, though, I can go ahead and let you down now). Kicking things off today is Katey, with an argument for Paul Rudd as Andy, who is like cut from marble in 1999's Wet Hot American Summer.

Fresh off a breakout role in Clueless and a turn playing Jennifer Aniston's crush in The Object of My Affection, in 1999 Paul Rudd had the option of cruising through a career as an easy-on-the-eyes rom-com star. And while plenty of those roles were yet to come, Paul Rudd the comedy superstar never would have existed without Wet Hot American Summer, the psychotically weird and wonderful summer camp parody that proved for the first time how insanely funny Rudd could be, while having crucial, genuine acting talent to back it up.

His Andy is the studliest counselor at Camp Firewood, able to be the boyfriend of super-hot Katie, who really ought to know better, while making out with equally hot Lindsay on the dock. He's also a complete child, throwing a tantrum when forced to clean up after himself in the dining hall, claiming to write in his "gurnal," and breaking things off with Lindsay with the classy line, "You taste like a burger, I don't like you anymore." He's also, let's face it, a child killer, allowing two kids to drown in the lake and tossing two others in a ditch for being witnesses.

Rudd's inherent likability, which made him such easy casting in lame movies like The Object Of My Affection, has nothing to do with this role. Andy is a complete, irredeemable asshole, and to play him Rudd turns off all the attributes that went into the process of making him a star. At the same time he completely jives with the weird, sometimes surreal comedy style of David Wain, not just requiring him to play a teenager at age 30, but spend an entire movie wearing cutoff jean shorts and jamming his tongue down Elizabeth Banks's throat at every moment. It's a performance that shows both near-limitless comedic range and the acting chops to build a believable character in a movie world that made no sense at all.

There are so many actors in Wet Hot American Summer that not all of them get to interact, and in some ways the movie is a dozen short stories woven together around the flimsiest of plots. But because Andy is kind of the force of anarchy in the movie, doing what he wants and when he wants to, he crosses over with so many of the characters, slinging himself around the dining hall under the watchful eye of Janeane Garofalo, emasculating Michael Showalter, and especially playing tonsil hockey with Elizabeth Banks, with whom he has a totally different but equally great chemistry in this week's Our Idiot Brother. It's early proof that Rudd is capable of pretty much anything, and more importantly built him connections that, as we'll talk about later in this series, led him to much bigger stuff in the future.

Pretty much everyone in Wet Hot American Summer should have immediately become huge stars, but of course, nobody actually saw it at the time. Now a ton of them really are big stars, and aside from Bradley Cooper, maybe none of them is bigger than Paul Rudd. He'd already had a few chances to prove his huge potential before Wet Hot, but none of the roles he did before or since have captured such an anarchic, totally committed performance that's just one crucial part of a movie that's only gotten better with time.

This poll is no longer available.

You're about to read an article about another comedy starring Jennifer Aniston, but wait! Don't run away in terror! This one actually might have a lot of potential, but it has nothing to do with Aniston. The film in question is Wanderlust, starring Aniston and Paul Rudd, and as THR reports Rudd will be writing the script with Kevin Marino and David Wain, with Wain directing.

So, rather than being something along the lines of The Break-Up or Along Came Polly, this film will be coming from the same place as Wet Hot American Summer and Role Models, meaning it's time to get excited now. Aniston and Rudd will play a couple who winds up living in a hippie commune, making plenty of room for bizarre side characters who will inevitably be played by Wain's favorite actors like Marino, Joe LoTruglio, Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter, etc. Really, with the rural setting a hippie commune suggests, it seems fair to hope this will just be some kind of Wet Hot American Summer follow-up, just with fewer kids running around. "Hey, let's all promise that 10 years from today we'll meet again, and we'll see what kind of people we've blossomed into. What time do you want to meet?"