Movie Review: An Absurd Trip to Hollywood in 'Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass' A little more than halfway through the extremely silly Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, the main character questions the very idea behind her journey, and by extension, the movie itself. Zoey Deutch’s character, Gail, embarks on a “Wizard of Oz”-like journey from Kansas to Hollywood to even the score with her fiancé and have sex with her celebrity free-pass: Jon Hamm. Midway through the film, Gail expresses frustration, calling the premise “ridiculous,” “stupid,” and “utterly pointless,” asking, “Why?” Her exasperation reflects the film’s own self-aware absurdity, which director David Wain and co-writer Ken Marino embraced as a deliberate choice. They admitted early on that the concept was inherently stupid, nonsensical, and destined to go nowhere, yet they insisted it was worth making. The film follows Gail, a wide-eyed, never-left-Kansas woman who hasn’t even heard of the term “celebrity free-pass” at the start of the movie. Her daffy high school sweetheart, played by John Slattery, has already used his pass, and Gail’s quest to find and seduce the man who played Don Draper—Jon Hamm—becomes her mission. Slattery’s character, a sadder and more comedic version of himself, serves as Gail’s reluctant guide. His portrayal of a man who hasn’t worked in a decade, taken up self-defense as a hobby, and whose text messages to his former Mad Men co-star go unanswered adds layers of humor to the already chaotic narrative. Wain’s film is a love letter to and send-up of Hollywood’s absurdity, much like his earlier work Wet Hot American Summer, which similarly blended nostalgia and satire. Gail Daughtry takes this approach further, exaggerating the surrealism of the entertainment industry.#john_slattery #zoey_deutch #david_wain #jon_hamm #gail_daughtry
