Claim: Bradley Cooper appeared in a movie.

Wet Hot American Summer is a 2001 American satirical romantic comedy film directed by David Wain from a screenplay written by Wain and Michael Showalter . The film features an ensemble cast , including Janeane Garofalo , David Hyde Pierce , Molly Shannon , Paul Rudd , Christopher Meloni , Michael Showalter -LRB- and various other members of MTV 's sketch comedy group The State -RRB- , Elizabeth Banks , Ken Marino , Michael Ian Black , Bradley Cooper , Amy Poehler , Zak Orth , and A. D. Miles . The film takes place during the last full day at a fictional summer camp in 1981 , and spoofs the sex comedies aimed at teen audiences of that era .   The film was a critical and commercial failure , but has since developed a cult following , as many of its cast members have gone on to high-profile work . Netflix released an eight-episode prequel series starring most of the film 's original cast on July 31 , 2015 .