30 best Netflix movies to watch this summer

29. Wet Hot American Summer

Genre: Comedy

Release Year: 2001

Directed By: David Wain

Cast: Janeane Garofalo, David Hyde Pierce, Molly Shannon, Paul Rudd, Christopher Meloni, Michael Showalter, Marguerite Moreau, Ken Marino, Michael Ian Black, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Elizabeth Banks

Wet Hot American Summer deserves a spot on this list for more than just its title. The movie did not have commercial success when it first premiered but it has since become a cult classic. It serves as a summer camp comedy but its use of satire takes the genre in a very different direction.

The movie takes place during the last full day at Camp Firewood, a camp located in Maine. The counselors find themselves in all sorts of shenanigans while the campers prepare for the annual talent show. Wet Hot American Summer spoofs clichés of typical teen comedies from that era of film.

The ensemble cast was a major bright spot for the film. Due to its increasing popularity, Netflix revived the franchise in 2015 with a prequel series that featured most of the original cast, many of which have grown into superstars. Due to the success of the limited series, an eight-episode sequel debuted in 2017. The sequel was set 10 years after the original movie.