“Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass” is a rare cinematic feat — it’s original, wonderfully weird, worthy of its nonstop laughs, and it’s actually filmed in Los Angeles. Which is good, since it is a parody of Hollywood and the concept of celebrity.
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While being weird and funny, quirky and hysterical, it’s also a fantastic homage to a classic movie gem (scroll through the spoiler-filled photos at the bottom of this review for more about that).
This is the story of hairstylist Gail Daughtry (Zoey Deutch). There’s no place like her perfect small town, with her best friends and fiancé. But that perfection is quickly disturbed. The couple learns of the concept of a celebrity sex pass — a crush on a person so famous that a fan is unlikely to meet them, but if they ever do, they have a pass to hookup with them, no consequences (you know, the premise of season 3, episode 5 of “Friends” when Ross makes a list of celebrity freebies). It’s a casual joke to Gail. Her fiancé, however, actually meets his celebrity crush and follows through. This doesn’t sit well with Gail. She concludes that to balance the scales and ensure she has a happily married future, she must find her celebrity crush and have a fling of her own. Gail is off to find Jon Hamm.
With the help of her best friend (Miles Gutierrez-Riley) and a handful of supporters (including Hamm’s “Mad Men” co-star, actor John Slattery, who plays a version of himself), Gail embarks on an adventure through Hollywood, encountering various celebrities, oddball situations, and danger. The unlikely story is woven together with the offbeat comedy that director/writer David Wain has become well-known for.
This movie is genuinely funny — a sharp balance of clever and silly, with a dash of camp. It will sneak up and surprise you. Don’t get too lost in laughter (and put away your phone) or you might miss something. Every line has something to catch. Each frame has something to find.
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As such, “Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass” risks becoming missed by large movie audiences. This comedy is apt for cult status where cinephiles and those in the know will hail it as a charming, laugh-filled ride that can be watched on repeat. This is often the plight of Hollywood’s best work.
It is also the plight of much of David Wain’s films, which have often gone under the radar. Wain wrote this movie with Ken Marino. Both are alumni of “The State.” Fans of this cult ’90s sketch comedy troupe, and all they have since created, will know what to expect from this brand of off-beat humor.
(“The State” was a short-lived sketch comedy show on MTV in the ’90s. It launched the careers of Michael Ian Black, Joe Truglio, Thomas Lennon, Kerri Kenney, and many others. It’s alumni went on to create other popular hits, such as “Wet Hot American Summer,” “Reno 911,” and in turn worked with the likes of Paul Rudd, Amy Poehler, Bradley Cooper, Elizabeth Banks, and more.)
The strength of Wain’s films, which is heavily flexed in this movie, is that the comedy doesn’t treat the audience like they’re idiots. They don’t hold your hand and walk you into a joke. “Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass” draws humor from mundane situations that get stretched into bizarre territory.
In one scene, a character explains that he empathizes with Gail’s problem. He then stops everything to explain that “empathy” is related, but distinct from the concept of “sympathy.” He further encourages her to look up the difference. The film is silent as she pulls out her phone and looks up the definitions. It is both innocuous and absurd. It’s the type of humor that defines laughing in the moment and later saying, “You just had to be there.”
On a scale of “Role Models” to “They Came Together” (other David Wain movies), this new comedy leans more toward “They Came Together.” It doesn’t go quite as far into over-the-top, campy slapstick comedy. But it gets close.
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“Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass” stands in opposition to the generic, low-hanging comedic fruit that is copy/pasted through scripts and cheaply churned across streaming channels. Get your pass to see this movie in a theater. This type of Hollyweird should be rewarded.
“Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass
4/5 stars: Wonderfully executed, hilarious film with something to watch for in every line, within each scene.
Screen or stream? Screen. We should reward Hollywood for making movies like this — original, independent, genuinely funny.
Rated R: You read the headline, right? You know the premise. It has a mature theme running through the entire movie.
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