Jon Hamm and Zoey Deutch’s wild new comedy is scoring big with critics on Rotten Tomatoes

Just when you thought American comedies had run out of daft, high-concept ideas, along comes Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass. If you haven’t heard about it yet—and frankly, unless you’ve been lurking on film Twitter or paying close attention to Sony Pictures’ Classics slate, you probably haven’t—the reviews are dropping now. And for once, there’s something of a consensus building. Prepare for a rush of celebrity cameos, awkward hook-ups, and more surreal small-town Kansas chaos than anybody absolutely needed.

What’s the Story This Time?

The film, clocking in at a brisk 94 minutes, sticks us with Zoey Deutch as Gail Daughtry—a hairdresser living somewhere in rural Kansas. Everything gets knocked off the rails when her fiancé decides to cash in his so-called ‘celebrity pass’ at a book signing, which, yes, means exactly what you think. Not to be outdone, Gail promptly sets out on a slightly unhinged spree to score with her own celebrity crush: none other than Jon Hamm (who, as you can imagine, is entirely up for the ride). Think bad decisions, midlife indignities, a load of farcical detours, and the odd bit of heart amongst the farce.

Who’s Actually in This?

• Zoey Deutch – Hairdresser Gail Daughtry, leading lady and owner of the most hectic week in Kansas
• Jon Hamm – Himself (sort of), physical embodiment of Gail’s ‘sex pass’ fantasy
• Supporting turns from John Slattery, Steve Wang, and a parade of blink-and-miss-them cameos
• Directed by: David Wain, who can always be relied on to keep things gloriously silly

Critical Temperature: Warm, Surprisingly Affectionate

The big surprise is that, despite its utterly bonkers premise (or maybe because of it), critics aren’t just tolerating this film—they’re almost relieved by it. David Gonzalez of The Cinematic Reel called out not just Zoey Deutch’s crackling lead performance but also the ‘absurd detours’ along the way, saying the film 'turns a ludicrous premise into an unexpectedly heartfelt adventure.'

Jeanine T. Abraham over at VisAbleBlackwoman came at it from another angle, notably relieved that there’s actually a funny film out just as, and I’m paraphrasing, the world outside is a flaming skip full of grim news. 'It’s kinda nice to take ninety minutes to just laugh in a dark room in a movie that doesn’t take itself too seriously.'

Nadine Whitney (AWFJ.com) hammered home the point that nothing here is trying to be subtle. She described the plot as 'increasingly ridiculous' and the film as ‘rarely anything but silly’, but gave props to Deutch and the supporting cast—including, importantly, Jon Hamm, who throws himself into all the silliness, no complaints.

Reception in Numbers

Rotten Tomatoes: Currently sitting at a sturdy 83% approval from 36 reviews, which is nothing to sniff at considering how easy it is for comedies to split opinion.
Metacritic: Sitting at 68—with six positive notices, five on the fence, and, by implication, no outright pans as yet.