Michael Fairbanks
I often say that spoofs are the lowest form of cinematic comedy. They often bring out the most lazy and crass urges of the filmmakers in question, especially when they’re making direct parodies of other films. I sat through the recent Scary Movie and Naked Gun installments uttering little more than occasional polite chuckles. David Wain (Wet Hot American Summer, They Came Together) has always been a more original voice in this space. His sensibility resembles sketch comedy more than outright parody but he still revels in absurdity. Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass is no exception. This is an unapologetically silly trek through Los Angeles that acts as a love letter to the city, its visitors and survivors and most importantly – hot middle aged character actors.
We meet Kansas-based hairdresser Gail Daughtry (Zoey Deutch) as she plans her wedding with high school sweetheart Tom (Michael Cassidy). They’re madly in love but their enmeshed bond is quickly thrown into turmoil. Gail’s best friend Otto (Miles Gutierrez-Riley) introduces her to the concept of a “celebrity sex pass” and after she tells Tom, he quickly takes advantage after a sitcom actress (a cameo best left unspoiled) visits to promote her cookbook. Irritated, Gail decides to join Otto on a trip to Los Angeles to find her own celebrity crush, Jon Hamm. On their quest they’re joined by small fry CAA assistant Caleb (Ben Wang), disgraced paparazzo Vincent (Ken Marino) and perhaps most importantly, Hamm’s former Mad Men costar John Slattery. The group also finds themselves in conflict with local gangsters led by Ludovica (Sabrina Impacciatore) after Gail’s suitcase accidentally switches with one of theirs at the airport.
The storyline has some not so subtle parallels to The Wizard of Oz but in tone, this gets closer to a Muppet movie than any all-human film has since Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar. Almost every single line is a joke and a stunning amount of them hit. We’re treated to a mix of clever wordplay, slapstick violence, inside-baseball entertainment industry jokes (the insert shots of CAA buildings are scored with an operatic choir) and even some guerilla style antics that were clearly grab and go shoots on Hollywood streets. Not every bit is a winner but there is something funny for any viewer. I’m a particular fan of Wain’s unique ability to make a repetitive gag land without it being annoying. At one point, the gang tries to enter Jon Hamm’s hotel and his assistant (Tobie Windham) repeatedly threatens to make the whole group “really sick.” He delivers this line several times with so much conviction that we laugh from the sheer horrified notion of what he could possibly be talking about. It’s a tool of absurdism, not an attempt to launch an iconic or viral catchphrase. I also love his inventive use of editing. There will be moments where a certain cut or sound effect repeats, knowingly playing into the notion that Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass is a cheap indie movie that would combust with one less dollar in the budget.
Most importantly, Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass has a genuinely compelling screenplay with a fairly large ensemble that clicks perfectly. Zoey Deutch has always had an earnest, mildly cartoonish air to her acting, making her an ideal Wain protagonist. She’s bright and plucky, full of small town charm. Gail is never portrayed as a bumpkin who is too dumb to understand the world of the big city. She’s proactive and smart, the other characters genuinely rally around her quest to have sex with Jon Hamm. That pursuit is treated as a genuine form of liberation for her, never something that is looked down upon as vapid or slutty. Ben Wang, Ken Marino and Gutierrez-Riley all score huge laughs throughout with fairly one-note characters. However, the real shining star here is John Slattery. We meet him in a run down apartment, feeling sorry for himself about the lack of work he’s received in Mad Men’s wake. Slattery completely commits to the bit, entirely unafraid to play pathetic but also likable enough for us to want to see him get his mojo back. I have to wonder if one of Wain’s motivations behind making Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass was simply to get Slattery more work. He just might pull it off. Jon Hamm is also a delight, acting as a perfect celebrity analog for the Wizard in this tale.
The mob plot line is a little tiresome. Impacciatore is a pretty generic Italian stereotype and her two goons played by Joe Lo Truglio and Mather Zickel often go for easy jokes. They’re not entirely unfunny, but a pretty significant amount of time is devoted to them stooging around. I almost wish that they had been introduced early on, forgotten about completely aside from the briefcase business, and then re-appeared out of nowhere for their climatic bit. Thankfully, that confrontation is highly satisfying and does make their inclusion worth it.
Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass likely won’t break out into the mainstream. It is decidedly niche and proud to be so. My experience was largely enhanced by getting to experience it at the Vidiots theater in Eagle Rock, filled with people who had personal connections to every single joke. That specificity makes it my favorite outright comedy of 2026 so far and a comfort movie I’ll probably revisit several times. Frankly, it might be my personal highlight of Wain’s long career.
