Ever heard of a “Hall Pass”? They even made a movie about them. It’s when a couple grants one another a freebie sexual encounter outside of the relationship. Many couples also have a celebrity version of this, where they can sleep with the star of their dreams if the chance should arise. It’s ridiculous and unlikely to ever come true…but what if it did? There’s nobody better to skewer this improbable myth than Wet Hot American Summer and They Come Together director David Wain, whose latest film, Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass was one of the funniest comedies I saw at Sundance this year.
Zoey Deutch stars as oblivious small-town girl Gail Daughtry, whose utter devotion to her fiancé and high school sweetheart gets blown up when he cashes in his celebrity sex pass and gets caught doing it. Her mind blown, Gail escapes to Los Angeles with her best friend Otto to cash in her own celebrity sex pass with…Jon Hamm. What unfolds is a Wizard of Oz-esque misadventure that includes Hamm’s old Mad Men pal, John Slattery, playing a hilariously insecure version of himself.
The film was directed by Wain, and co-written with Ken Marino who also has a role in the film. Also in the cast are Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Ben Wang, Joe Lo Truglio, Sabrina Impacciatore, Thomas Lennon, and Kerri Kenney-Silver, so plenty of familiar faces to fans of Wain’s movies.
SYNOPSIS: Small town hairdresser Gail Daughtry is engaged to her devoted high school sweetheart, Tom. Her life takes a turn when a trip to a book signing leads to Tom meeting – and sleeping – with his “celebrity pass.” Reeling from the betrayal, Gail impulsively joins her friend Otto on a trip to Los Angeles, where a psychic convinces Gail that the only way to save her marriage is to “even the scales” with her own celebrity pass: Jon Hamm. Thus begins an epic journey through Tinseltown as Gail and Otto join forces with a talent agency assistant, a paparazzo, and actor John Slattery, all in the search for Hamm. Along the way, they collide with celebrities and are hunted by a group of Italian assassins as they get ever closer to finding the elusive star.
Sony Pictures Classics releases Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass in theaters on July 10th. You can check out my early review here.
