Most comedy fans know the overall story of Wet Hot American Summer and its rise to cult classic status: A hyper-specific genre parody made on a relative shoestring, debuted at Sundance, packed with now-familiar faces, limited-released to box office obscurity and mixed reviews, eventually reclaimed as maybe the funniest broad comedy of the 21st century. The reason that particular story has become so well-known is its relative rarity. There are a lot of indie comedies packed with familiar faces that arenβt as good as Wet Hot American Summer, movies that deservedly languish in obscurity. This century (and now, the streaming world) is littered with fans-only curios like The Wendell Baker Story, First Time Female Director, A.C.O.D, and dozens of others.

