Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass

Gail (Zoey Deutch) and Otto (Miles Gutierrez-Riley) look for answers in Los Angeles in Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass (Distributed by Sony Pictures Classics)

Some movies contain such joy and enthusiasm that the feeling becomes contagious as you watch them. The people involved had a good time making it and all they want is for audiences to have a good time viewing it. Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass is a movie like that. Silly, happy, with a smile on its face and a song in its heart, it is just trying to make people laugh. At no point in its 88-minute runtime (plus a post credit scene) are we intended to take its ridiculous story seriously. It is goofy fun. Of course, if the jokes don’t land, that would make for a very rough viewing experience. Luckily, I laughed. A lot. Consistently. Throughout the whole movie.

Every line, every sight gag, every single one of the many cameos is designed to be silly. This isn’t a parody; most of the humor comes from the personalities of the characters, not from pop-culture references (though there are those, too). The writing is surprisingly clever, considering how absurd the plot is. You just know screenwriters Ken Marino and director David Wain were giggling to themselves as they came up with new ways to jam all this material in there. This isn’t a “turn your brain off” movie; being aware of how over-the-top it is becomes part of the enjoyment. The summer is about escapist entertainment. Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass is really entertaining.

Gail Daughtry is a smalltown Kansas hairdresser who is weeks away from marrying her high school sweetheart. When he takes the celebrity sex pass idea literally and has sex with Jennifer Aniston, Gail decides the only way to save their relationship is for her to hook up with her celebrity crush, Jon Hamm.

Otto and Gail with new friends John Slattery (as himself), Caleb (Ben Wang) and Vincent (Ken Marino)

While none of the characters are deep, it is amusing how everyone is given a distinct collection of traits that becomes the driving force for the humor. Gail is naïve, sweet and loyal. Her best friend, Otto, who she travels to Los Angeles with, is more street-smart and wary. Gail’s relentless open-mindedness attracts all sorts of people. The screenplay has a lot of fun with plenty of obvious references to The Wizard of Oz, in the story structure, dialogue and background gags. Gail (possibly named after Dorothy Gale?) is indeed not in Kansas anymore as she wanders through a fantastical land full of bizarre characters. The movie is so playful that the forced allusions are part of the fun.

Gail Daughtry is the work of David Wain and Ken Marino, veterans of 90s sketch show The State. They have done many things since then, but they tend to collaborate a lot with other members of the group. In addition to Wain and Marino, this also features appearances by The State alums Michael Ian Black, Kerri Kenney, Thomas Lennon, Joe Lo Truglio and Kevin Allison. If you are a fan of any of these people and their style of comedy, this is definitely for you. If you have never heard of them, that’s a much tougher sell. However, this is something I could see developing cult favorite status over the next few years. It is likable, funny and, if you are on its wavelength, will put a smile on your face just by thinking about it. It is a very enjoyable time.

3¾ out of 5

Cast:

Zoey Deutch as Gail Daughtry

Miles Gutierrez-Riley as Otto

Ben Wang as Caleb

Ken Marino as Vincent

John Slattery as John Slattery

Joe Lo Truglio as Sergio

Sabrina Impacciatore as Ludovica

Jon Hamm as Jon Hamm

Directed by David Wain

Screenplay by Ken Marino and David Wain