by Jake Bourgeois, Contributing Writer
Two Zoey Deutch comedies in a matter of weeks? What did we do to deserve such a boon?
Just a couple of weeks after Voicemails for Isabelle, Deutch is back (this time in theaters) with another comedic outing: Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass.
Much like the previous outing, this too relies on a certain formula—though not the same one. From the moment that we’re introduced to the world with the fourth wall-breaking narration of the local mailman (Fred Melamed) à la Fred Astaire in Santa Claus is Coming to Town to set the scene for our main character, I knew what kind of movie I was in for and got on its wavelength. Gail (Deutch) is the former head cheerleader engaged to former high school quarterback Tom (Michael Cassidy) and as we’re introduced to the happy couple, the saccharine nature of their relationship is cranked up to 11. However, when the idea of Tom using his “celebrity sex pass” throws a wrench into their seemingly idyllic relationship, Gail travels to Hollywood, to find Jon Hamm and have her own celebrity tryst as an act of revenge.
I talked in the pervious review about how Deutch’s screen presence can be a cheat code for filmmakers. That’s still true here, but it’s a different type of presence. Here, she’s playing the character trope of someone bursting with sunshine and sweetness, someone that’s so optimistic that it doesn’t seem like anything could dampen her glow. The type is so bubby and happy, it could almost get on your nerves. For Deutch, however, it’s a complete success. (It also makes a moment of brief darkness side-splitting.)
While Deutch is fantastic, there’s a great ensemble at work that helps the movie sing. As she goes on her quest, she slowly picks up members of quite the motley crew. Everyone brings something different to proceedings, and each gets their moment to shine. They’re all solid performances and there’s not a weak spot in the bunch. Miles Gutierrez-Riley perhaps gets the least to do as the supportive coworker, but is nonetheless a needed component of the crew; Ben Wang as a wannabe agent shows a different side than he did last summer in the latest Karate Kidentry and is very funny; Ken Marino (who also co-wrote the script) is a former paparazzi photographer for whom Hamm is his white whale; and John Slattery is probably my favorite performance as a heightened version of himself looking to reconnect with his former Mad Men costar. In addition, as someone who’s come to Brooklyn Nine-Nine(relatively) recently, watching Joe Lo Truglio ham it up as a henchman who answers the question, “What if Charles Boyle was in the mob instead of a cop?” gave me immense joy.
Directed and co-written by David Wain, who has a not insignificant role in the comedic landscape with well-liked films I just haven’t seen like Wet Hot American Summer and Role Models, I found myself locked into his brand of comedy. The tone, paired with the flurry of celebrity cameos in the film, gives it a very Muppets-esque feel, albeit with an R-rated slant. I won’t ruin them all here, but I found Richard Kind, Weird Al, Penn Jillette to be my favorite of the bunch. (Though when Hamm does appear, he understands the assignment.) The Muppet description popped into my head early, and wouldn’t leave (honestly, I felt vindicated by the showdown in a California western film set), but it’s hardly the only reference the film wears on its sleeve. Particularly in the climax which is very Wizard of Oz-coded.
While this isn’t the type of movie that’s going to end up on an end of the year “best of” list, it’s still a fun time that knows what it is and doesn’t outstay its welcome. It’s a nice little appetizer ahead of the epic films coming for the rest of the month.
Rating: Liked It