For the second time in two months, Hollywood has opened an R-rated sex comedy that mostly skirts the issue of sex. First, THE INVITE took a snickering, almost junior high attitude towards infidelity, and now comes GAIL DAUGHTRY AND THE CELEBRITY SEX PASS. The latter chooses to be an out-and-out farce, vamping the oddities of La La Land, with little seriousness anywhere to be found. It succeeds on more levels than THE INVITE did, trying to have it both ways. Still, as raucous and committed to craziness as GAIL DAUGHTRY is, one can’t help but imagine if it tried to say something a little more provocative about sex rather than editorialize upon the endless silliness of Hollywood.
The film gets loonier and funnier as it goes on too, something that few comedies can say on the big screen these days. That may have something to do with the fact that the plot revolves around a naïve Kansas bride-to-be’s quest to tryst with Hollywood leading man Jon Hamm, and he doesn’t show up in the film until the final 20 minutes. And Hamm is playing himself here, hilariously, as is his old MAD MEN costar John Slattery, who adds even more amusement to the outrageousness.
Naive hairdresser Gail (an effervescent Zoey Deutch) is almost uncontrollably excited to marry her fiancé, Tom (Michael Cassidy), and live blithely in her Podunk small town. But then one day, after attending a local book signing by celebrity Jennifer Aniston (playing herself), Tom ends up sleeping with her as she is his “celebrity sex pass.” Gail never thought the opportunity to live out such a fantasy would ever really arise, but with the encouragement of her gay BFF Otto (Miles Guitierrez-Riley), they venture to Hollywood together to level the playing field. She’ll bed Jon Hamm, her “celeb sex pass,” and then she’ll be able to enter wedded bliss knowing that she and Tom are even-Steven.
Once the two get to Tinsel Town, the film loses any sense of grounding it might have had, but it gains all the more in hilarity with a craziness and full-bore commitment from its cast. Along the way, Gail and Otto get involved with an identical case they unwittingly pick up at LAX, which contains all kinds of secret documents. The duo also picks up some tag-along strangers who promise to help them retrieve their case and meet Jon Hamm. They include insecure CAA talent agent Caleb (Ben Wang), a down-on-his-luck paparazzi named Vincent (Ken Marino), and the aforementioned John Slattery, who plays himself as a bitter has-been. The gang is always mere steps ahead of the vicious Ludivica, the mafia-esque owner of the secret case (Sabrina Impacciatore), and her dim-witted henchmen. Ultimately, the film is one big chase scene, with homages to dozens of films, not the least being IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD and WHAT’S UP DOC?
The comedy and some gunplay are played over the top, with quite a bit of it landing, even the gratuitous celebrity cameos dotting the LA landscape. The film also leans into its riffs on THE WIZARD OF OZ, from its heroine’s name to the needs of Gail’s cohorts to fakers behind the curtain, some funnier than others. For me, the funniest part of the film is its treatment of all the insanity as just another day in Hollywood. Clearly, director David Wain and co-writer Marino (both doing double-duty for this production) know the looniness of show business like the back of their hands, and they give it a full-blown slap more often than not. It sometimes plays like a gonzo extension of ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD, and that’s not a bad thing.
In a world that often seems utterly mad these days, it’s nice to see that a farce that is supposed to be one can grab people’s attention, as this did on the festival circuit. GAIL DAUGHTRY AND THE CELEBRITY SEX PASS isn’t a classic comedy, and it totally whiffs its chance to say something profound about sex, fidelity, or nuptials, but as a charming distraction in these dog days of summer, it’s a welcome breath of fresh air.
