Gail Daughtry And The Celebrity Sex Pass (2026)
SHOULD I SEE IT?
YES
David Wain's fearless, absurdist sense of humor makes Gail Daughtry a refreshingly unpredictable comedy.
Zoey Deutch gives another charming comedic performance. She needs to be a bigger star.
Riffs on a classic movie, but also has a keen eye on relationships and gender-based double standards. Add in a terrific ensemble and fun cameos and this is an easy recommend.
NO
Absurdist, silly comedies like this are not for everyone. The jokes come fast and furious and not everything lands effectively.
The ribald, raunchy premise will also deter some viewers from watching this.
Stubs its toe when dealing with a subplot involving a financial scheme that feels forced and out of step with the rest of the film.
OUR REVIEW
The first video store I ever remember visiting, Country Video, a behind-the-insurance-office, little hole-in-the-wall about five minutes from my house, had your typical “New Release” section, your comedy wall and your typical drama shelves. Horror was over in the right-hand corner and kids' movies were scattered around the adjacent walls. I would later realize there was an “adult” room for a particular kind of movie available only to customers 18 and older. But there was Country Video’s “Raunchy” section. Truly that’s what it was called. The “Raunchy” wall wasn’t pornography. It was those movies the owner deemed weren’t for kids: 1970s exploitation movies, sex comedies, the nastiest of horror films, and whatever else he decided belonged there.
My mind drifted back to Country Video while watching the uproarious and quite cynical comedy, Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass. While it might seem relatively tame in 2026, I imagine the owner of Country Video would have tossed it up on the “Raunchy” wall from the title alone. The plot is about a married couple who react very differently to the opportunity to use their one “free pass” to sleep with their celebrity crush. Without shame, and unabashedly free-spirited, that’s pretty much the entire plot.
Well … at least on the surface.
Written and directed by David Wain (Wet Hot American Summer), Gail Daughtry is smarter than it looks - an absurdly comedic, laugh-out-loud exploration of gender roles, double-standards, and whether or not a relationship is ever truly equal. The movie uses innocence and buffoonery in equal measure, and even boldly models itself on a cinematic classic; an homage you would never anticipate for a film like this.
Like its main character, Wain’s film marches through its story undeterred by conventional constraints. A mailman (Fred Melamad) opens up the festivities, almost immediately breaking the fourth wall and serving as our narrator … until he doesn’t and tries to make the movie all about himself. In one of the more spirited gags, the camera cuts to a shot of a passer-by watching the mailman talk to his phone inside a mailbox and perhaps I laughed way too hard at such a simple sight gag.
Basically, Gail Daughtry (Zoey Deutch), a kind-hearted small-town hairdresser, is days away from marrying her high school sweetheart Tom (Michael Cassidy), a self-serving dimwit who is as condescending to Gail as she is blindly committed to him. Heading to a book signing, they discuss the idea of a couple’s “celebrity sex pass,” that notion that if your partner had the chance for one meaningless fling with a celebrity crush, it’s allowed and not considered cheating.
Tom eventually chooses Jennifer Aniston. Gail is reminded by Tom of a teenage crush she had on Jon Hamm, and she concedes he would be her pass. On their way to an Aniston book signing, Tom encounters her, in more ways than one, leaving Gail devastated. After sharing her circumstances with best friend and co-worker Otto (Miles Gutierrez-Riley), he convinces her to join him on a weekend getaway to Los Angeles.
Once they arrive and Gail meets with a psychic, the plan becomes quite simple: Gail will find Jon Hamm and … well … you know.
Deutch sells this goofiness so well that the movie becomes consistently entertaining. Otto stays right by her side, and they soon form a ragtag group committed to Gail cashing in. An ambitious but confidence-lacking agent-in-training (Ben Wang) and a paparazzi with a kind heart (Ken Marino, co-writer of the screenplay) leads them to John Slattery, Hamm’s “Mad Men” co-star, playing a cowardly version of himself.
The quintet canvasses Los Angeles and ends up finding Hamm at the legendary Chateau Marmont hotel. His handler (Tobie Windham) is fiercely protective of his employer and even more obstacles get in the way of Gail’s goals.
The jokes come so frequently that not every one of them lands, but Wain never seems interested in a polished presentation. He wants his film messy and scattered, giving off an unpredictable energy missing in modern comedies. Theaters rarely see these kinds of go-for-broke comedies anymore. Movies like this are increasingly relegated to streaming services, where they no longer have a dedicated spot on a shelf. They’re just another thumbnail, hoping the algorithm decides to put them in front of you.
I recognize that silly, absurdist comedies are not everyone’s cup of tea and the subject matter will certainly be off-putting for some viewers. However, I have stated before how talented Zoey Deutch is and she proves it again here. Everyone gets a moment to shine, something Wain’s films and projects almost insist on, and even when Jon Hamm arrives, he matches the energy, kills his scenes, and blends in perfectly to the tone and cadence the film creates.
A subplot regarding a sinister plot to blow up the world’s financial system is a strain on the overall effectiveness of the film, and the movie loses steam the more invested Wain and Marino become in that story. But when Gail is front and center, riffing with her makeshift friends, and random celebrity cameos pop in from the likes of Paul Rudd, Henry Winkler, Elizabeth Perkins, and even “Weird Al” Yankovic, there is an unpredictable nature about this that absolutely won me over.
Likely overlooked in a hyper-competitive summer movie season, I hope Gail Daughtry will eventually finds an audience. Because in a different era, a movie like this would likely be that video rental you take a chance on, almost by accident.
With an outrageous title, a ridiculous premise, and just enough social commentary and self-awareness that you cannot easily dismiss it, the film’s fearlessness and commitment to the bit are what reminded me of Country Video. Movies like these have become increasingly rare, and while this one isn't without its flaws, I'm glad it exists - raunchy or otherwise.
CAST & CREW
Starring: Zoey Deutch, Miles Gutierrez-Riley, John Slattery, Ben Wang, Ken Marino, Sabrina Impacciatore, Joe Lo Truglio, Mather Zickel, Tobie Windham, Fred Melamed, Michael Cassidy, Michael Ian Black, Kerri Kenney-Silver, Richard Kind, Thomas Lennon, Toby Hus, Zac Oyama, Jennifer Aniston, Henry Winkler, Elizabeth Banks, Weird Al Yankovic, Paul Rudd, Penn Jillette, Elizabeth Perkins, Jon Hamm
Director: David Wain
Screenplay: David Wain, Ken Marino
Release Date: July 10, 2026
Sony Pictures Classics