Gail Daughtry And The Celebrity Sex Pass Review

What Gail Daughtry And The Celebrity Sex Pass lacks in humor, it more than makes up for in heart; David Wain’s latest comedy will win you over with its infectious energy.

Heartbroken and confused, Gail leaves for Los Angeles, joining her colleague and friend Otto (Miles Gutierrez-Riley, of Smile 2) on a trip to a hair salon exposition, where she immediately finds the solution to her problems. “Level the playing field,” a psychic (a phenomenal Kerri Kenney-Silver) tells her, “You must have sex with your celebrity pass.” Just like that, Gail’s mission takes shape: she’ll find Jon Hamm, sleep with him, and save her relationship.

Like any self-respecting quest, there are challenges to overcome, objects to retrieve, and friends to be made along the way. The latter include talent agency assistant Caleb (Ben Wang, of The Long Walk), retired celebrity photographer Vincent (Ken Marino, of The Sleepover), and Hamm’s Mad Men co-star, John Slattery, who plays himself. And then, of course, there are enemies to defeat, here taking the form of Italian assassins Sergio (Joe Lo Truglio, of Hot Frosty) and Niccolò (Mather Zickel, of The Fantastic Four: First Steps), with whom our heroes mistakenly swapped suitcases at the airport.

On paper, Gail Daughtry And The Celebrity Sex Pass tells a very promising story – one that had the potential to deliver a wonderfully chaotic and entertaining comedy. This is especially true since it is helmed by writer-director David Wain and co-writer Ken Marino, whose creative partnership brought us beloved hits like Wet Hot American Summer, Role Models, and Wanderlust. Sadly, their latest effort isn’t as funny and original as their past work, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t fun to be had here.

In fact, Gail Daughtry And The Celebrity Sex Pass rarely lands as a comedy. The movie tries so hard to make you laugh, and yet most of the jokes fall flat. Combined with a plot that somehow manages to come across as both predictable and oddly directionless, Gail Daughtry often feels more like a sitcom than a feature film. The great Fred Melamed (Shiva Baby) narrates, acting as a narrative frame that neither fits nor benefits the story. Meanwhile, there are unexpected cameos throughout, but none that truly make an impact. And then there’s our main villain, Sabrina Impacciatore’s (The White Lotus) narcissistic mob boss Ludovica, an antagonist whose presence relies more on Impacciatore’s charisma than on characterization.

So why, then, should you watch the movie? Because despite it all, Gail Daughtry is fun. Perhaps it’s that its incredibly talented cast clearly had a blast making the movie, or maybe the characters are just so likable that you want to spend time with them, no matter what they do. Eventually, the silliness becomes infectious, and you can’t help but enjoy the ride. By the time the end credits roll, you’ll have gotten so attached to our unlikely heroes that you’ll be sad to part with them, and a gloriously campy, surprisingly heartfelt ending – one of the movie’s best scenes – will leave you with a big smile on your face.

It helps that everyone gives it their all, from lead Zoey Deutch to the rest of the cast, including John Slattery in one of his most delightfully bizarre roles to date and Ben Wang as the undisputed standout. The score, from frequent Wain collaborator Craig Wedren, is irresistible, blending different styles and sounds into a cohesive whole and making the journey more fun.

“Sometimes, sister, the craziest solutions are the most sane,” the psychic tells Gail at the beginning of the movie, when our protagonist’s quest begins, and the same can be said of the movie. Gail Daughtry And The Celebrity Sex Pass is neither as funny nor as unpredictable as it wants to be, but it makes up for it in absurdity, heart, and sheer nonsensical fun.

Gail Daughtry And The Celebrity Sex Pass will be screened at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 10, 2026 and released in US theatres on July 10, 2026.