Long live the studio comedy! Relegated to mediocre streaming affairs, David Wain declared no more! The Wet Hot American Summer man assembled his comedy avengers to bring us Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, a movie that would have been more relevant 10 years ago, but because of comedy’s state today, has more punch and laughter today. Show me the fever, into the fire…
Helped by the occasional interlude by Frank the mailman (Fred Melamed), Kansas based Gail Daughtry (Zoey Deutch) just thought that celebrity sex pass was a fun convo to have with her husband to be Tom (Michael Cassidy). That is, until that sex pass is used by Tom completely out of the blue. Gail is blindsided, and after conversing with her hairdressing bff Otto (Miles Gutierrez-Riley), decides the only way she can save the marriage is sleeping with her sex pass: Jon Hamm. The two travel to Los Angeles to find the Mad Men star, colliding with CAA agent Caleb (Ben Wang), paparazzi photographer Vincent (Ken Marino), a mob boss Ludovica (Sabrina Impacciatore) and her dumbass crony Sergio (Joe Lo Truglio), and John Slattery (John Slattery). Yep, John Slattery.
Most comedy today takes the standard move of being too cool for school, reacting to the absurdity by commenting on it. Producers think it works cause it spoon feeds the audience the joke, but thus, in my opinion, letting the air lazily out of the balloon a bit. Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex pass flies wonderfully in the place of that type of comedy. David Wain creates a surreal Los Angeles where everyone’s 100% earnest pretty much all the time, letting the audience be the commenters through their laughter. When a tour guide suggests product placement corporate food chains as the “best burger” or “best coffee” on Sunset Boulevard, the movie leans into the joke, sending Gail and Otto into those places and having mini orgasms from a Big Mac or a Starbucks Mocha Latte with a touch of syrup. Gail’s pursuit is never really laughed at by anyone, almost making the joke funnier, as each new member of the team immediately jumps on board to help get her closer to f*cking Jon Hamm, and is devastated when there’s obstacles in her way. That gives the movie this low stakes, good hang out vibes drive towards its conclusion, allowing Wain agency to go crazy every now and again, especially at a deranged old Western movie set that legitimately had me shocked and cackling with absurdist glee.
To cash in that sex pass Wain calls in a few favors himself, pairing Wet Hot stalwarts with delightful newcomers. I was a little worried at the beginning in grounded Kansas with the eye rolling plot dump Zoey Deutch and Miles Gutierrez-Riley give us. But the minute they get to Los Angeles it’s off to the comedy races. Deutch especially acquits herself well to David Wain’s world, using her crazy eyes and malleability to mold Gail into whatever the movie needs her to be. Ken Marino and John Slattery are at home in stuff like this. Marino is a sneaky MVP, giving the movie an unhinged energy with a wonderfully off the wall take on the paparazzi, and Slattery has fun playing at his 2nd fiddle, apparently “washed up” old man persona the media makes him out to be. It was nice to see Ben Wang working with good comedic material for once, using his boyish enthusiasm and unearned confidence to deliver the big emotional moments the movie needs. Jon Hamm isn’t in the movie a lot, but as a 3rd act jolt of energy, he gives the film exactly what it needs. Sabrina Imacciatore and Joe Lo Truglio have fun in their pointless subplot, knowing its futility and just going crazy over the top with it. And like all great comedies, the cameos come early and often. Yes there’s the occasional Wet Hot vet you expect, but two in particular: one an incredible joke callback and one out of nowhere silent cut to completely stole the show for me.
If you couldn’t tell, I had a great time with Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass. Being a studio comedy, it’s gonna be too broad at times to get everyone on the same page, but when the movie gets going it’s impossible to leave without a smile on your face. I hope this movie makes hella coin, so we can get back to laughing in a theater together, instead of quietly to ourselves to a mediocre Netflix or Amazon Friday drop. Oh, by the way, watch both Wet Hot American Summer, and maybe even moreso Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp, for an intimidating funny ass cast having the best time making each other and the audience, laugh over and over again.