Joe and Angela’s marriage is on thin ice. When they invite their enigmatic upstairs neighbors for a dinner party, the night spirals into unexpected places.
Chuck says:
My wife and I have an understanding. If, on the off chance, the actor Miles Teller, in all his hunkiness, showed up on our doorstep, rang the bell and stated it was time for he and Beth to embark on their once-in-a-lifetime romance, I’m to, without hesitation and no hard feelings, let her leave. Though we love each other, who am I to stand in the way of her living out this fairy tale love affair…or one-night stand, whatever the case may be? And, really, this is an easy thing to agree to. Miles Teller, coming to Farmer City?!? Never gonna happen!
(In the interest of full disclosure, were the same scenario to play out and Kate Winslet were to show up asking for my hand, Beth is to let me go, without question. Of course, Ms. Winslet will never grace Farmer City with her presence either, however I’m in Hollywood a couple times each year, so…)
Like saying what you’d do if you won the lottery, playing the Celebrity Sex Pass game is a harmless bit of fantasy, meant to elicit gentle laughs of disbelief and perhaps provide a surprising revelation or two among friends. However, in David Wain’s whimsical and ribald “Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass,” this harmless game becomes a reality for two soon-to-be-marrieds, the circumstances forcing them to reevaluate their relationship.
Relayed as a fantasy by Frank (Fred Melamud), the all-knowing and rather bitter postman of the small Kansas town where the story begins, the film takes a massive swipe at the Hollywood machine, the illusionary nature of stardom and celebrity entitlement. Employing a broad approach in its humor, the gags are hit and miss, yet the enthusiasm and abandon with which the game cast approaches this parody trumps many of its faults.
Gail (Zoey Deutch) is naïve as a June day is long and loves working at a local salon with her fellow stylist, Otto (Miles Guiterrez-Riley). She’s to be married in two weeks to her equally innocent, long-time boyfriend, Tom (Michael Cassidy) and there’s nothing on the horizon that can ruin her happiness. However, fate has other plans for her, as the couple decides to attend a book signing by a major movie star who just happens to be in town. She also happens to be Tom’s celebrity sex pass. One thing leads to another and before you know it, he’s lived out his fantasy, reasoning Gail wouldn’t be upset because, well, it’s understood.
Needless to say, that is not the case. Convinced by Otto to get payback by taking advantage of her celebrity pass, he and Gail set out to Hollywood so that she can sleep with Jon Hamm. However, it’s not a straight path to the actor’s door and along the way, they’re joined by three lost souls, each in search of validation of their own. Caleb (Ben Wang) longs to be an agent, Vincent (Ken Marino) is a photographer yearning for redemption and John Slattery hopes to rebuild his dwindled sense of fame.
Once the group meets Hamm and he sends them on an impossible quest, it becomes evident Wain is riffing on “The Wizard of Oz.” Clues are provided along the way and in retrospect they become evident. And from this point on, the allusions to the 1939 classic become all the more obvious. Hamm, having a great time lampooning himself, proves to be a charlatan, yet is able to point out that Caleb, Vincent and Slattery already possess the qualities they seek. As to how he deals with Gail’s wish, the last scene is inspired.
Wain hasn’t invented a gag he can’t milk dry, which works to the movie’s detriment at times. But to his credit, his brisk pacing doesn’t allow the viewer to dwell on a misguided joke too long, as he effortlessly glides from one scene to the next. As stated, the cast is game for anything which goes a long way towards making the outlandish humor work. All have their moments, but I would be remiss if I did not mention Sabrina Impacciatore, a wannabe power broker who longs to get her hands on a satchel containing government secrets Gail has accidentally taken. The actress rends the scenery with aplomb, her heavily-accented, impossible to understand line-readings generating laughs at every turn.
Whether fans of “Oz” will embrace this feature or brush it aside as a tawdry take on the classic, I cannot say. And, as with all comedies, every viewer’s mileage will vary regarding its humor. If nothing else, “Gail” makes a distinctive mark, providing a brand of silly, adult humor that’s been absent from multiplexes for far too long.
2 1/2 Stars
