We're Off To See A Great Screwball Comedy In 'gail Daughtry And The Celebrity Sex Pass'

The screwball joyousness “Gail Daughtry and nan Celebrity Sex Pass” is astir a one-in-a-million lovers’ bluff that comes true. Midwestern puerility sweethearts Gail (Zoey Deutch) and Tom (Michael Cassidy) are 2 weeks from their wedding erstwhile nan dopey groom-to-be sleeps pinch Jennifer Aniston, nan 1 prima he had joking support to bonk. To equilibrium nan score, Gail and her champion friend Otto (Miles Gutierrez-Riley) alert from Kansas to Los Angeles truthful she tin seduce her celebrated freebie, Jon Hamm. A one-night Hamm guidelines will salvage nan chipper cheerleader’s happily-ever-after pinch her saccharine but stupid erstwhile backmost — if she tin person nan character to participate.

Director David Wain has made a activity drama that’s arsenic guiltless arsenic a Labrador puppy. For other cuteness, he’s moreover modeled nan building connected “The Wizard of Oz.” Gail and Otto skip on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame, aided successful their quest by a humbled paparazzo (Ken Marino), a quick-talking CAA agent-in-training (Ben Wang) and “Mad Men’s” John Slattery playing a scumbag insult of himself arsenic a has-been pining for nan days erstwhile he and Hamm were AMC’s prize studs. All of Slattery’s lines are filthy aliases pathetic. He’s terrific.

Meanwhile, nan wickedly witchy villain Ludovica (“White Lotus” breakout Sabrina Impacciatore) is furious that her minions accidentally swapped her luggage pinch Gail‘s astatine LAX. The laziness of nan old-fashioned suitcase switcheroo instrumentality is portion of nan movie’s charm. Wain and longtime collaborator and co-screenwriter Marino would alternatively put their power cramming successful truthful galore jokes that I could quote a twelve punchlines and hardly spoil a thing. (I won’t.)

My accustomed problem pinch capers is they almost ever climax pinch a tedious pursuit sequence. Thankfully, Wain undermines nan formula, simply snatching clever ideas arsenic they flit past. One of my favourite throwaway giggles comes erstwhile a goon gives up pursuing Gail aft half a block, wheezing “Stop ... moving ... I’m ... tired!”

Deutch is cleanable casting for plucky Gail, who commits to bagging Hamm pinch specified gumption that she jumps connected a edifice mattress for illustration a small kid. She’s truthful axenic of bosom that you’re not judge she’ll cognize what to do successful nan chamber if she really finds him. Since Deutch’s first lead domiciled successful nan undervalued 2014 “Twilight” piggybacker “Vampire Academy,” her surface beingness has been 15-going-on-45: a dimpled ingenue pinch nan assured patter of a Preston Sturges heroine. I’ve liked her successful everything but her anachronistic entreaty is particularly bully successful movies for illustration “Gail Daughtry” that crank reality up a notch truthful everything moves accelerated and silly.

The “Oz” allusions get contradictory and distracting. Loyal Otto — rearrange nan letters successful his sanction — has a Tin Man-esque alloy sheet successful his head; Marino and Slattery some stock nan Cowardly Lion’s temper. Apparently, Los Angeles boasts 2 Emerald Cities: CAA and nan Chateau Marmont. The erstwhile is heralded pinch a blast of horns; nan second guards its soul sanctum down Tobie Windham’s officious sentry. Like David Lynch’s “Wild astatine Heart,” nan plotting doesn’t hew truthful intimately to nan Yellow Brick Road that its thumps consciousness inevitable. Still, I appreciated really cinematographer Kevin Atkinson alludes to nan dusty Kansas prairie pinch a changeable of a beige portion mall.

The tourism committee should study really Wain sells a tacky California vacation. Hollywood Boulevard hasn’t looked this fetchingly sleazy since “Pretty Woman.” Actual visitors moreover get their ain close-ups successful a series wherever a henchman (Joe Lo Truglio) waves a photograph of Deutch extracurricular nan Chinese Theatre asking group to thief him find her. (They can’t, but 1 recognizes Lo Truglio from “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.”)

We autumn backmost successful emotion pinch nan metropolis done Gail and Otto’s excitement. “Universal CityWalk, Bubba Gump Shrimp, woooo!” Otto hoots. From musty prima maps to ratty psychics, nan movie truthful adores Los Angeles that Thomas Lennon’s hairsbreadth stylist characteristic is simply a riff connected section advertisement king Chaz Dean. That gag that won’t construe beyond a fistful of ZIP Codes. So beryllium it.

Wain makes shooting connected location look obvious. Why build Ludovica’s favourite reddish condiment associated erstwhile Colombo’s Italian Steakhouse is correct location successful Eagle Rock? As a bonus, filming successful Los Angeles makes it easier for Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Richard Kind, Fred Melamed, Penn Jillette and nan existent Aniston to popular by for a scene. Rudd and Banks could person changeable their 20-second cameos arsenic a pit extremity connected a market run, a little thank-you to Wain for launching their drama careers successful 2001’s “Wet Hot American Summer.” There is nary spot for illustration home.

Today’s cast-dependent indie financing exemplary makes it harder for filmmakers to present america to caller faces. Here, Wain manages to compression successful a mates of rising talents: Gutierrez-Riley’s steady, supportive Otto and Wang’s scene-stealing motormouth, a lighter return connected nan anxious braggart he played successful past fall’s “The Long Walk.” Cassidy, nan character playing Gail’s immature fiancé, has been kicking astir nan business for ages, but finds a funny caller cogwheel arsenic a quadrate who is genuinely amazed his woman is upset he slept pinch a prima of “Friends.”

Unlike Dorothy, Gail’s lust for life proves excessively large for her mini town. But “Gail Daughtry” is little astir activity and individual empowerment than nan cult of celebrity. Here, each level of notoriety comes pinch its ain awkward perils: Henry Winkler is mistaken for John Travolta, Elizabeth Perkins is spotted driving a taxi, and Slattery tries to curry favour pinch a table clerk who recognizes him from “Mad Men” but doesn’t care.

The movie stops respective yellowish bricks short of erecting a temple to nan sacrifices of fame. Yet you perceive a kernel of truth erstwhile Gail and nan pack break into nan mansion of “Weird Al” Yankovic, who yells, “You group deliberation conscionable because you bought a summons to 1 of my concerts that you person nan correct to invade my sanctuary?” No. But buying a summons to laughter astatine this satire is nan correct call.