Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass (2026) Sony Pictures Classics/Comedy RT: 93 minutes Rated R (sexual content, violence/bloody images, language) Director: David Wain Screenplay: Ken Marino and David Wain Music: Craig Wedren Cinematography: Kevin Atkinson Release date: July 10, 2026 (US) Cast: Zoey Deutch, John Slattery, Ben Wang, Ken Marino, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, Sabrina Impacciatore, Joe Lo Truglio, Mather Zickel, Jon Hamm, Tobie Windham, Fred Melamed, Michael Cassidy, Michael Ian Black, Kerri Kenney, Richard Kind, Thomas Lennon, Kevin Allison, Beth Dover, Toby Huss.
Rating: ***
I was not looking forward to Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass. The trailer for it was brutal and by that I mean brutally unfunny. It showed the scene of John Slattery having his foot repeatedly slammed in a door by a security guard when he shows up unannounced at the residence of Mad Men co-star Jon Hamm. It goes on for about 30 seconds. It wasn’t that funny to begin with; prolonging it didn’t help matters. I figured if this is a so-called highlight, it doesn’t bode well for the rest of the film. I steeled myself for a painful, miserable viewing experience.
This is a reprint of (part of) the first sentence in my capsule review of Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass: I’m probably going to hate myself in the morning, but I actually liked this stupid ass comedy. I still can’t believe it. It is, in fact, funny for the most part. It’s no comedy classic. It feels like the kind of movie that gets dumped in cinemas in late August or sometime in January because the studio has no confidence in it. I’m surprised Sony didn’t do that with this one. This movie is full of surprises (surprisingly).
The title character, Gail Daughtry (Deutch, Zombieland: Double Tap), is a hairdresser who’s never had the desire to leave her home in rural Kansas. She’s about to marry her fiance Tom (Cassidy, The O.C.), the only boyfriend she’s ever had. On the way to a book signing, they playfully discuss their “celebrity sex pass”, the one celebrity they could have sex with without it affecting their relationship. Gail chooses Jon Hamm while Tom goes with Jennifer Aniston.
As it so happens, Jennifer is at the book signing. It’s her book. Long story short, Gail walks in on Tom having sex with Jennifer. She decides then and there to join her gay bff Otto (Riley, The Wilds) on his trip to L.A. for a hairdressing convention. She intends to track down Hamm and use her celebrity sex pass. Obviously, it won’t be easy. There will be roadblocks and obstacles.
Gail is joined on her journey by a few new friends (in addition to Otto) she picks up on the way. There’s Caleb (Wang, American Born Chinese), a young aspiring talent agent who gets fired from the agency after attempting to get Hamm’s contact information. There’s Vincent (Marino, Children’s Hospital), a freelance celebrity photographer who got fired from People magazine after failing to get a pic of Hamm. He’s been after the actor for the past 15 years. And last, but certainly not least, is Slattery (as a crazy version of himself). He’s reluctant to join the quest, but he does anyway, assuring the group he and Hamm are tight despite his phone being full of unanswered texts to his former co-star.
That’s not all that’s going on in Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass. No, director and co-writer David Wain (Wet Hot American Summer) sees fit to include a subplot about Gail coming into possession of a suitcase belonging to a comically vicious crime boss (Impacciatore, The White Lotus). It’s the classic suitcase switch at the airport when somebody carelessly grabs the wrong (identical) bag. The boss sends a couple of inept henchmen, played by Joe Lo Truglio (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) and Mather Zickel (Rachel Getting Married), to get it back and kill Gail while they’re at it. It all leads to a violent and goofy showdown at an abandoned ghost town movie set.
One could see Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass as a silly, sexed-up, adult version of The Wizard of Oz. Think about it. The heroine hails from Kansas. She picks up three traveling companions, all of whom want something that Hamm might be able to give them. There’s a witchy antagonist trying to kill her and her friends. It could even be argued that Otto is Gail’s Toto. Hey, I just realized it’s an anagram. All that’s missing is Gail quipping that she’s not in Kansas anymore.
Deutch, the daughter of Back to the Future actress Lea Thompson and Some Kind of Wonderful director Howard Deutch, is a real charmer. She brings a perky, sunny quality to Gail, a woman who introduces herself to hotel clerks, cab drivers and street vendors when interacting with them. There’s a cute naivety to her too. That is, until she’s pushed too far, then look out. Hamm is funny as the Wizard of Hollywood, a self-involved type who might or might not be all that Gail imagines he is. Impacciatore hams it up mightily as the Wicked Witch baddie, a crazed psycho who tries to drown an underling in a bowl of minestrone at one point.
You know what? Why don’t I just say that the whole cast does a good job in Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass. They know it’s a goof and act accordingly. They’re clearly having fun. One of the best supporting players is Fred Melamed (A Serious Man) who plays Gail’s mailman and acts as the narrator of the twisted tale. Richard Kind (Spin City) has a good scene as a cab driver with a thing for actress Elizabeth Perkins. Several members of the comedy troupe The State (Michael Ian Black, Kerri Kenney, Thomas Lennon and Kevin Allison) pop up throughout. Also, there is a load of cool celebrity cameos. I won’t name them; I’ll let you be surprised.
I laughed more at Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass than I did Scary Movie 6. Why? Because it’s so damn stupid, it knows it and doesn’t care. Not every bit works, but enough of it does to make it worth watching. That’s not to say everybody will like it. I raised a few eyebrows at last night’s Screen Unseen when I admitted to liking it. I sure I hope I didn’t destroy my credibility. On second thought, who cares? I like what I like and I like Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass. Be sure to stick around for an end credits scene.
Oh and by the way, I didn’t hate myself when I woke up this morning.
