‘Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass’ Review

American studio comedies have found themselves with far less fanfare than they had back in the day. What seemed to die out after the Judd Apatow, Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg comedy boom now only occasionally rears its head, with the odd title gracing the big screen that's worth discussing, like 2023’s No Hard Feelings. Instead, most comedies languish in the digital purgatory of streaming services, as Netflix complements its stand-up comedy specials and bingeable crime documentaries with films headlined by a few notable actors and then are never spoken of again. It’s where David Wain’s particular brand of humour has seemed to find success and ultimately be the de facto home for comedies with a lot of actors, a goofy sensibility, and an uncertain guaranteed audience. Which is why it’s a rare delight for a film like Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass to even be entertained as a theatrical release.

Wain has been a director whose entire filmography comes with certain expectations. Even his less silly films, like Role Models and Wanderlust, have come with the understanding that they will at some point be absurd and ridiculous enough to possibly alienate an audience. A joke will go on for a little too long until it comes back around to being funny again; one of his many famous actor friends will make a weird, jarring cameo just for fun; fellow alumni from the comedy troupe The State will cycle in and out of all of his projects; and things will be overexplained to the point of believing every character in the film is unintelligent. All of this happens in Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, and while the film struggles to leave much of an impression, it’s a reminder of what was lost when studios decided that big-screen comedies had to be more than just a silly collection of hijinks strung together by the thinnest of plots.

Those attuned to Wain’s wavelength will find much to adore in his latest film, co-written by Wain and lifelong creative partner Ken Marino. Opening with narration from a mailman (played by Fred Melamed) in Wolliwbrook, Kansas, Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass wastes no time setting up its characters, plot, and tone. When a small-town hairdresser, Gail Daughtry (Zoey Deutch), is compelled to find and have sex with her “celebrity pass” in order to save her marriage after her fiancé sleeps with his celebrity sex pass, her attempt to even the score results in a tumultuous journey across Los Angeles with her best friend and co-worker, Otto (Miles Gutierrez-Riley), to sleep with Jon Hamm. There’s also the added wrinkle of a briefcase mixup that, unbeknownst to her, puts a target on Gail as two henchmen, Sergio and Niccolo (Joe Lo Truglio and Mather Zickel, respectively), attempt to save face with their criminal boss (Sabrina Impacciatore), who is planning to destroy the global financial system.

It’s all silly. It’s also merely a vehicle for Marino and Wain to craft absurd jokes that poke fun at celebrities, paparazzi, agents, actors, and the absurd world they operate within. The simple joke of Gail having a briefcase to be mistaken for another is as funny as watching someone slam a door on someone’s foot an extremely belligerent number of times; that is to say, it’s very funny. Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass is chock-full of comedy that fluctuates between smart and observant to dumb and heightened. While that can be exhausting at times, Wain and Marino’s batting average is better than most, and Wain’s films show someone reflecting on what makes something funny and then trying to stretch it to its limits. The knockoff effect is that his films can sometimes overstay their welcome, even when Gail Daughtry is only 93 minutes long. Part of that is because anything to do with the criminal side is a bit underwhelming, but it’s also because the heart of the film doesn’t meet the comedy as effectively.

There’s a bitterness within Gail that surfaces only once she is betrayed by her fiancé, Tom (Michael Cassidy), and it comes out in bursts of aggression and frustration that almost puncture the bubbly tone mirroring her aura. The naivety that sleeping with Jon Hamm might resolve all her marital problems back home is slightly heartbreaking to realize. Deutch is extremely effective at being earnest, clueless, and intelligent in the same breath, making her performance help illuminate the feelings Gail is experiencing during her quest across LA. It suggests a film that might have the surprising emotional depth of Wain’s less absurd films, Role Models and Wanderlust. The issue is that Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass can never stray too far from its silly streak, accentuated by a detour in the second act and a final act that feels so superfluous in the grand scheme of things that it kills some of the heart building up in the film.

The myriad cameos and bounty of jokes that do stand out, combined with an infectious energy from Deutch, help propel her character’s crusade to sleep with Hamm forward as it amasses a following of helpers willing to do anything to achieve a modicum of success. The film is ultimately about committing to the bit, regardless of whether it will actually result in the desired effect. Wain has forged a career out of it, and while he remains an anomaly for what studio comedy success can look like, it’s the scrappy efforts he’s exemplified in all his work that shine through in his latest project. Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass won’t necessarily convert people to Wain’s sensibilities, but it’s an endearing comedy about the never-ending battle to realize your dreams.