The State’s David Wain lacks the name recognition of a Judd Apatow, but he’s quietly assembled a fine comic legacy.
- Wanderlust
- Wet Hot American Summer
- Role Models
- They Came Together
Wain’s latest, “Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass,” feels even zanier than his past efforts. That’s despite Wain’s familiar troupe members dropping by for extended cameos. It’s as silly as “Airplane!” or “Napoleon Dynamite,” a barrage of gags that never gives up.
And, thankfully, more than a few jokes land. That scattershot approach can be numbing, it’s still one of the better comedies in recent years.
Faint praise, but still praise.
Zoey Deutch stars as Gail, the Dorothy-like figure at the heart of this trip to Oz. She’s about to marry her beloved Tom (Michael Cassidy), the two as midwestern bland as bland can be.
At first, it seems as if Wain is ready to mock Red State yokels, but the whole film carries a “Dumb and Dumber” vibe. No harm, no foul.
The two drop by a book reading by celebrity author Jennifer Aniston (a Wain alum going with the flow), an encounter that leads to Tom cashing in on his celebrity sex pass.
Gail is furious, and she impulsively flees with her co-worker Otto (Miles Gutierrez-Riley) to Los Angeles. He wants to meet a salon legend (Thomas Lennon, great as ever) while she has her own goal.
Have sex with her celebrity crush, Jon Hamm.
That won’t be easy, but the duo pick up a gaggle of strange new friends (including “Mad Men” alum John Slattery and co-screenwriter Ken Marino) en route to Hamm’s house. That’s if Joe Lo Truglio, his hair shaped like a silver tornado, villain doesn’t stop them first.
“Gail Daughtry” doesn’t overdo the Oz connection, but it’s there all the same. So is the silliness, which rises up via the film’s funny framing device and never, ever pauses, let alone stops.
David Zucker remains the king of the kitchen-sink comedy, something Wain and co. loosely emulate here. His film lacks the former’s innate discipline, an organic chaos where all the wacky pieces somehow fit together.
Here, that “anything goes” mien floods the screen, so if any character tic or plot twist can yield a chuckle, it’s included. That’s fine in the moment, but the film ends up feeling even lighter than air.
Yeah, it’s a problem, but a comedy can have more meaningful flaws.
Deutch remains a solid leading woman, witness her impressive turn in the Netflix romcom “Voicemails for Isabelle.” Here, she’s plucky and game, but she’s never as naturally hilarious as some co-stars.
Slattery plays up his character actor fame with glee, although the story’s reliance on that teeters on overkill.
What works best about this “Celebrity Sex Pass?” It honors and tweaks movie conventions, be it action comedies, adventure films or romances. Everything is fair game, but the mood is light and frothy.
That’s the very best approach.
Wain’s previous films lacked this sense of unbridled anarchy, and it’s a formula that demands a top flight class. The director/co-writer has just that, including fun appearances by Kerri Kenney-Silver, Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks and more.
The latter group provides an infectious, wink-wink spirit, even when some of the bits go too far. No movie this cheery should feature a eye knocked loose from its socket. Sorry.
Otherwise, “Gail Daughtry” starts strong, keeps up a heady comic momentum and ends with an unexpected reunion. For a while, that would make this a solid, if unremarkable comic romp. In the post-woke world, it’s as refreshing as an ice-cold beer on a blazing rooftop patio.
HiT or Miss: The always cheerful “Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass” is best appreciated by those who think a comedy can never be too silly.