Inside the Arthouse: Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass

A very stupid idea taken very seriously.

That’s the engine behind Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, the new film from David Wain — and the premise is exactly as ridiculous as the title promises.

Gail, a Midwestern bride-to-be, has a “free celebrity pass” arrangement with her fiancé. Then he actually uses his. Heartbroken and furious, Gail flies to Los Angeles to even the score with her own pass: Jon Hamm.

From there it’s a full-blown Hollywood comedy — love, jealousy, bad decisions, psychic advice, celebrity culture, and the sheer chaos of committing to a bad idea all the way through. Wain has stacked the cast with a who’s-who of gifted comic actors: Zoey Deutch leads as Gail, alongside Jon Hamm and John Slattery.

What makes the film feel rare isn’t the premise. It’s the commitment: an original American independent comedy that isn’t apologizing for being a unicorn — a movie built, first and foremost, to be funny.

Join us for a conversation with David Wain about comedy for comedy’s sake, shooting on location in L.A., and why the dumbest idea in the room is sometimes the only one worth chasing.

Why This Director Fought to Keep Comedy Funny | David Wain on Gail Daughtry & the Celebrity Sex Pass
INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE: THE CURRENTS

INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE: THE CURRENTS

Greg Laemmle and Raphael Sbarge welcome director Milagros Mumenthaler to INSIDE THE ARTHOUSE to discuss her new film, THE CURRENTS