Gail Daughtry Review: David Wain’s Sundance Hit

The movie “Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass” had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2026. It got great early reviews for its funny and absurd humor and star power. David Wain directed and Ken Marino co-wrote the 93-minute comedy, which makes fun of Hollywood in the middle of the 2000s and “The Wizard of Oz.” Critics love how silly it is, how violent it is like a cartoon, and how easy it is for everyone to get the Hollywood jokes.

Zoey Deutch plays Gail Daughtry, a happy Kansas hairdresser whose fiancé brings up their “celebrity sex pass” agreement. This sends her on a revenge quest to Hollywood to have her own fling with Jon Hamm. Along with her gay best friend Otto (Miles Gutierrez-Riley), she meets strange people in LA, like a CAA assistant (Ben Wang) and a paparazzo (Ken Marino). This is similar to Dorothy’s journey down the yellow brick road. Sabrina Impacciatore plays the Wicked Witch, and her henchmen Joe Lo Truglio and Mather Zickel get into silly fights over a briefcase mix-up that shakes the world.

Jon Hamm plays himself as Gail’s crush, and he and John Slattery get back together in a “Mad Men” nod. Fred Melamed, Richard Kind, and Thomas Lennon are also in the movie. Reviewers talk about a great hotel concierge scene, a lot of slapstick, and a weird Wright Brothers joke. Deutch is great in the lead role, mixing the charm of a romantic comedy with the wild energy that Wain loves.

It’s a triumphant return to “dumb comedy,” thanks to Zoey Deutch and Jon Hamm’s performances. Deadline calls it a “absurdist Hollywood commentary” full of cameos, like Jennifer Aniston (implied).