July 8, 2026
FILM: GAIL DAUGHTRY AND THE CELEBRITY SEX PASS
DIRECTED BY: DAVID WAIN
STARRING: ZOEY DEUTCH, JOHN SLATTERY, JON HAMM
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
This is the kind of film that you just have to ride with and engage in its silliness and improbabilities to enjoy. It’s not really meant to represent reality in any major way but to entertain with an interesting concept and a lot of celebrity cameos.
Directed by David Wain, known for the comedies Wet Hot America Summer, Children’s Hospital and others, the story follows Gail Daughtry (Zoey Deutch) a young woman about to marry her fiancé Tom. Gail works as a hair stylist with her buddy Otto (Miles Guitierrez-Riley) in Kansas. They banter about celebrity sex passes – you know, the idea that if you and your partner would have a pass to have sex with any celebrity, who would it be? Not taking it too seriously, Tom notices that Jennifer Aniston is doing a book signing at a local store and decides she is his choice. After Aniston (playing herself, in the first of MANY cameos in the film) signs her new cookbook (does Aniston write such books? Who knows. It doesn’t really matter…) Tom cashes in his pass with her. Gail is emotionally destroyed and decides to head to Los Angeles with Otto for a hair convention where she hopes to meet her celebrity pass, Jon Hamm.
That’s the initial premise for the film which already sets itself up as something of a fairytale. Wain and his co-writer Ken Marino, who plays a photographer in the film, turn this into a journey that alludes to The Wizard of Oz, in more ways than one. Gail is, of course, from Kansas and a remark is made that “a tornado is on the horizon.” She meets up with a fortune teller (Kerri Kenney) who clearly represents Professor Marvel who Dorothy Gale meets in the The Wizard of Oz before the twister strikes. Even Gail’s name is a reverse take on the character made famous by Judy Garland in 1939: Gail Daughtry = Dorothy Gale. Soon, Gail and Otto are on the road in search of her “wizard,” actor Jon Hamm.
While the plot includes some pretty unlikely developments such as Gail affording a last-minute flight to L.A., getting behind the scenes of Hamm’s talent agency, and making it inside the gates of what is supposed to be his large estate, it’s all played for fun and excitement. There are also allusions to the 1972 screwball comedy What’s Up Doc? starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal as Gail’s briefcase gets mixed up with that of a criminal gang which is carrying secret papers. This, of course, leads to the group’s own pursuit of Gail through the Hollywood streets.
The references to Oz though become even more pronounced as Gail and Otto round up a gang to travel with them on their quest. This includes a “cowardly” version of John Slattery, playing himself. Slattery, of course, played Hamm’s “boss” on Mad Men but here has been out of touch with his long-time acting colleague and friend. The characters skip down the street at one point toward the big chateau (the estate stands in for Emerald City) where Hamm is supposedly living. There’s also a rainbow that appears across the sky. (Thankfully, there aren’t any songs…)
Part of the fun is catching these references and seeing various known actors in their cameo roles, such as Elizabeth Banks, Henry Winkler, Weird Al Yankovic, and Elizabeth Perkins. Again, it’s all unlikely and therefore nothing more than an exercise in goofy comedy hijinks, something we all could use a little bit more of today.
The actors are great, particularly Slattery and Hamm playing heightened versions of themselves and Zoey Deutch seems to be having great fun in the role of Dorothy. This is a far cry from the excellent work she did last year in Richard Linklater’s homage to the making of Breathless in Nouvelle Vague where she played actress Jean Seberg. Here, she plays into the comedy and youthful abandonment of her character and flows with the physical comedy required throughout this film.
Ultimately, this is a fun summer movie without any intent at being anything other than that.
Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass opens this week in theaters everywhere.
FILM: GAIL DAUGHTRY AND THE CELEBRITY SEX PASS
DIRECTED BY: DAVID WAIN
STARRING: ZOEY DEUTCH, JOHN SLATTERY, JON HAMM
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
This is the kind of film that you just have to ride with and engage in its silliness and improbabilities to enjoy. It’s not really meant to represent reality in any major way but to entertain with an interesting concept and a lot of celebrity cameos.
Directed by David Wain, known for the comedies Wet Hot America Summer, Children’s Hospital and others, the story follows Gail Daughtry (Zoey Deutch) a young woman about to marry her fiancé Tom. Gail works as a hair stylist with her buddy Otto (Miles Guitierrez-Riley) in Kansas. They banter about celebrity sex passes – you know, the idea that if you and your partner would have a pass to have sex with any celebrity, who would it be? Not taking it too seriously, Tom notices that Jennifer Aniston is doing a book signing at a local store and decides she is his choice. After Aniston (playing herself, in the first of MANY cameos in the film) signs her new cookbook (does Aniston write such books? Who knows. It doesn’t really matter…) Tom cashes in his pass with her. Gail is emotionally destroyed and decides to head to Los Angeles with Otto for a hair convention where she hopes to meet her celebrity pass, Jon Hamm.
That’s the initial premise for the film which already sets itself up as something of a fairytale. Wain and his co-writer Ken Marino, who plays a photographer in the film, turn this into a journey that alludes to The Wizard of Oz, in more ways than one. Gail is, of course, from Kansas and a remark is made that “a tornado is on the horizon.” She meets up with a fortune teller (Kerri Kenney) who clearly represents Professor Marvel who Dorothy Gale meets in the The Wizard of Oz before the twister strikes. Even Gail’s name is a reverse take on the character made famous by Judy Garland in 1939: Gail Daughtry = Dorothy Gale. Soon, Gail and Otto are on the road in search of her “wizard,” actor Jon Hamm.
While the plot includes some pretty unlikely developments such as Gail affording a last-minute flight to L.A., getting behind the scenes of Hamm’s talent agency, and making it inside the gates of what is supposed to be his large estate, it’s all played for fun and excitement. There are also allusions to the 1972 screwball comedy What’s Up Doc? starring Barbra Streisand and Ryan O’Neal as Gail’s briefcase gets mixed up with that of a criminal gang which is carrying secret papers. This, of course, leads to the group’s own pursuit of Gail through the Hollywood streets.
The references to Oz though become even more pronounced as Gail and Otto round up a gang to travel with them on their quest. This includes a “cowardly” version of John Slattery, playing himself. Slattery, of course, played Hamm’s “boss” on Mad Men but here has been out of touch with his long-time acting colleague and friend. The characters skip down the street at one point toward the big chateau (the estate stands in for Emerald City) where Hamm is supposedly living. There’s also a rainbow that appears across the sky. (Thankfully, there aren’t any songs…)
Part of the fun is catching these references and seeing various known actors in their cameo roles, such as Elizabeth Banks, Henry Winkler, Weird Al Yankovic, and Elizabeth Perkins. Again, it’s all unlikely and therefore nothing more than an exercise in goofy comedy hijinks, something we all could use a little bit more of today.
The actors are great, particularly Slattery and Hamm playing heightened versions of themselves and Zoey Deutch seems to be having great fun in the role of Dorothy. This is a far cry from the excellent work she did last year in Richard Linklater’s homage to the making of Breathless in Nouvelle Vague where she played actress Jean Seberg. Here, she plays into the comedy and youthful abandonment of her character and flows with the physical comedy required throughout this film.
Ultimately, this is a fun summer movie without any intent at being anything other than that.
Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass opens this week in theaters everywhere.