By Joanna Orland
Longtime collaborators David Wain and Ken Marino bring their unique comedic sensibility to Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass. Co-written by both and directed by Wain, the film follows Gail (Zoey Deutch) as she descends upon Los Angeles in search of Jon Hamm (himself) – her celebrity “hall pass.” After her fiancé Tom (Michael Cassidy) has sex with his celebrity hall pass, Gail is on a mission to level the playing field with hers.
There are many hijinks and antics along the way, as Gail picks up a motley crew of friends to help her on her quest. As the characters and plot points mirror The Wizard of Oz, the layers of humour in Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass never cease to amaze. It’s a joke-dense absurdity on every level, reminiscent of Wain’s previous iconic films They Came Together and Wet Hot American Summer.
David Wain Gets the Gang Back Together for ‘Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass’
As founding members of comedy sketch troupe The State, David Wain and Ken Marino have been comedy partners for more than 30 years. They have collaborated repeatedly, often with the other members of The State and the wider comedy collective in their orbit. Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass sees many familiar faces from Wain’s work – Joe Lo Truglio, Michael Ian Black, Kerri Kenney-Silver, and Thomas Lennon are among the cast, with cameos from the likes of Paul Rudd, Jennifer Aniston, Weird Al Yankovic, and more.
While not members of The State, Jon Hamm and John Slattery are no strangers to working with Wain, having appeared in Wet Hot American Summer: First Day of Camp. Playing versions of themselves in Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, the Mad Men alumni poke fun at their personas and at the ridiculous concept of the movie. While Hamm plays a heightened self-important version of himself, Slattery goes in the opposite direction, playing a sad sack pathetic failure who uses bravado to hide his fear – reminiscent of a certain cowardly character from a classic film…
‘The Wizard of Oz’ of It All
It may or may not be obvious until the film is in full swing, but Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass is an homage to The Wizard of Oz. To begin with, there is Gail (Dorothy) and her best friend Otto (Toto) played by Miles Gutierrez-Riley. The duo, who hail from small-town Kansas, go to Los Angeles (Oz) and accidentally acquire a briefcase that isn’t theirs (ruby slippers), while the wicked mafia queen Ludovica (Sabrina Impacciatore) tries to get it back. There are even direct references to The Wizard of Oz in the dialogue, such as when Ludovica orders Gail to be killed, “and your little friend too,” with regards to Otto aka Toto.
The friends she meets along the way are obvious stand-ins for the Scarecrow (Ben Wang as Caleb), the tin man (Ken Marino as Vincent), and the cowardly lion (Slattery as himself). Jon Hamm is the wizard they seek, and the story plays out almost like a funhouse mirror image to the source material. Emphasis on fun.
It sounds absolutely bonkers, and it is, but Wain has done this sort of high-concept parody before. They Came Together is not only a silly rom-com in itself, but it also parodies the entire genre – New York being the third character of the story. Wet Hot American Summer is also a genre parody as it makes fun of the classic teen comedies that were prevalent in the 80’s. This high-concept parody is something Wain has a proven track record with, so for Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass to focus its sights on The Wizard of Oz is so absolutely ridiculous, it’s perfect.
It’s Not Just High-Concept, ‘Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass’ Is Hilarious
The Wizard of Oz spoof is very funny, but even moreso, the jokes themselves are too. This film is intentionally so stupid, it’s impossible not to be grinning throughout. It’s so joke-dense that even though not all of the jokes land, there are so many of them that it almost doesn’t matter when one is amiss.
The film is not just an homage to The Wizard of Oz, but to Los Angeles in all of its grimey glory. Filmed on location in the city, the film uses the sites, sounds, and characters for punchlines and nostalgia. The small-town girl in a big city trope is played for laughs, but the absurdity of the jokes and the commitment to the bit is what really hits.
The concept is funny, the jokes are funny, and the performances are funny. Ken Marino is always on form, delivering hilarious stupidity with heart. John Slattery as the cowardly lion stand-in is so self-deprecating, it’s not just cringe, it’s unabashedly silly. A particular standout is Tobie Windham as Jon Hamm’s security guard. He not only has the funniest lines in the film, but he delivers them with an enthusiastic innocence and an immaculate comedic timing. I would watch an entire spinoff series about his character.
A Comedy That Isn’t Afraid to Hamm It Up
Everyone in the film understands the tone and the notes they need to hit to make this film soar, and there’s not a bad one in the bunch. The cameos are equally as funny as the film’s stars — Richard Kind as a cab driver obsessed with Elizabeth Perkins, Weird Al Yankovic as a gun enthusiast, a nonverbal Penn Jillette, Jennifer Aniston reading from her overly simple cookbook, Fred Melamed as the narrator, and the list goes on.
If you’re a fan of They Came Together or Wet Hot American Summer, then odds are you will find the funny in Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass. A high-concept parody of The Wizard of Oz and a hilarious buddy road trip film, it has a joke density that makes it impossible to not laugh. As the men behind the curtain, Ken Marino and David Wain are still at the top of their game, decades into their collaborative career.
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Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass
Directed by David Wain
Written by Ken Marino and David Wain
Starring Zoey Deutch, Jon Hamm, John Slattery, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Ben Wang, Joe Lo Truglio, and Sabrina Impacciatore
In cinemas across Canada on July 10th, 2026
