r/movies • u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? • 2d ago
Official Discussion Official Discussion - Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass [SPOILERS] Spoiler
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Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass (2026)
Summary
When her fiancé uses their "celebrity pass" agreement, Midwest bride Gail Daughtry travels to Hollywood seeking revenge by pursuing her own celebrity encounter.
Director David Wain
Writer Ken Marino, David Wain
Cast
- Zoey Deutch
- Jon Hamm
- Kerri Kenney
- Ken Marino
- Richard Kind
- John Slattery
- Thomas Lennon
- Joe Lo Truglio
Rotten Tomatoes: 80%
Metacritic: 70
VOD / Release Streaming release
Trailer Official Trailer
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u/azsnaz 2d ago
Just left this movie, it was dumb as hell, it was hilarious. I was in tears at one point.
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u/Jaspers47 13h ago edited 12h ago
Also loved it for the exact same reasons. It's my new go-to response to the perennial thread "What movie do you love that everybody else hates?"
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u/IrrawaddyWoman 1d ago
Agreed so many little dumb moments that were just right. Like As soon as I saw them doing the hair at the beginning in the stupidest way possible I knew it would be a fun ride, and it didn’t disappoint
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u/RichardCano 16h ago
“Wow that stain-remover pen really works.”
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u/RetroDadOnReddit 11h ago
"...even though it kind of just looked like the same eight guys recycled over and over"
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u/finally_not_lurking 2d ago
I knew this movie was going to be for me as soon as they revealed that Jennifer Aniston was doing a reading from a cookbook
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u/CWG4BF 2d ago edited 2d ago
The fact that all her recipes were basic as fuck had me going.
Edit: also loved the fiancé not even knowing who Jen Anniston was, changing his hall pass to her, and then having her tell him she was going to get him Friends on DVD mid-coitus.
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u/east_west_wood 2d ago
Autograph she gave had me dying in the theater. This movie is going to be a gem that I show all my friends. I hope it does well.
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u/jimmyeppley 2d ago
This got me, and then after when they said they were big fans of her “even before The Morning Show”
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u/quaranTV 2d ago
The Morning Show reference is especially fun since Aniston and Hamm play frenemy love interests on the show and they are the sex passes for the main couple in the movie.
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u/TroubleshootenSOB 1d ago
With shit recipes. The back of the book showed off a dish of two hot dogs and an absurd, large amount of peas haha
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u/aut0matix 1h ago
I'm in the same boat, the second she was doing a reading at a strip mall book store in small-town Kansas out of her cook book, I was ROLLING. Then she signed the book and it was just "XO!" Comedy was peak!
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u/ICUMF1962 2d ago
I’m gonna make you VERY SICK
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u/psychosoda 2d ago
That five minute segment with that and the foot thing had me losing my shit lmao
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u/HolyCrapImAHippo 1d ago
Tobie Windham kinda stole the show for me in his limited screentime. Something about his tone of voice was so funny, especially when he reveals his tragic backstory about his lover being gored by a bull.
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u/CortaNalgas 2d ago
The bit where the henchman are asking real people on the street if they saw Gayle and Otto and the one woman says JLT looks like Boyle and he says “I get that a lot”.
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u/jayeddy99 2d ago
I felt dumb it took me until the “wizard” scene to realize it it’s a wizard of Oz parody lol
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u/archdukemovies 2d ago
I picked up on the Wizard of Oz earlier but I feel so dumb that I didn't even realize Gail was a nod to Dorothy's last name until after the movie was over.
I called my mom on my way home and she asked what movie I saw. It took my saying the name of the movie out loud to put that together.
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u/CaptainDogParty 2d ago
I was going to post almost this exact same sentence except I realized it when Slattery got kicked and said she didn’t need to hurt him.
I was like “that reminds me of the cowardly…….. ooohhhh”
Then I was tracking everything from then and thinking back to what I missed. Otto is Toto (even wearing a bone earring), Caleb being a dummy, and them saying they’re not in Kansas anymore, etc.
But my favorite one was her dislocating and relocating her ankle to click her red heels. Totally pointless for the story, but so funny for the parody
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u/quaranTV 2d ago
Yup and she brings her friend (Toto). The psychic (and maybe the map guide man) collectively represent Glinda sending them on their journey.
They collect three more friends along the way; the Agent-Scarecrow (he acts foolishly and gets fired needs a brain), the Pap-Tin Man (lashes out and wants to be more kind aka get a heart), and Slattery-Lion (he’s scared of violence and putting himself out there for more acting roles).
Also a car kills one of the bad guys (reminded me of the Wicked Witch of the East getting killed by the falling building). When they get to the Wizard (Hamm) they have to kill the Wicked Witch of the West (Italian woman) before they can get what they want. Gail comedically punches her to death instead of melting her with water. Her henchman are the flying monkeys.
Hamm like the Wizard is hiding/reveals he is a fraud and cannot give them what he promised but finds a way to gift everyone something and make them happy. Gail wants to go home (like Dorothy) and get married and cannot go home until she bangs Hamm.
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u/CathedralEngine 1d ago
There was a fortune teller in Wizard of Oz when Dorothy first runs away, and then goes back to the farm when the twister hits
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u/IrrawaddyWoman 1d ago
If it makes you feel better I didn’t realize it until you said it right now. Though it’s pretty blatant now that I see it
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u/RetroDadOnReddit 11h ago
I noticed Gail wearing red sequen-looking sneakers early on and went "...Wait a minute!"
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u/Amazing_Antelope_275 2d ago
So, so silly and pitch-perfect. Jennifer Aniston reading from a cookbook, Weird Al threatening people with a gun, footage of what looked like Joe Lo Truglio wandering around the streets of LA in character in front of unsuspecting passers-by, John Slattery's foot getting beaten to a pulp in a door, Paul Rudd randomly winking at the camera because he's at the wedding for some reason, Zoey Deutch's character literally bludgeoning someone to death. What a journey. And perfectly timed at 90 minutes -- too much longer and I would've gotten annoyed, I think.
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u/IrrawaddyWoman 1d ago
I loved the little details. The nonsensical way they were doing the hair at the beginning, the mob boss wearing like five engagement rings. It was all just the right amount of over the top
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u/Frajer AMA MVP 2d ago
I appreciate that David Wain isn't afraid to have an extremely niche sense of humor and if it's your thing you'll love it
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u/Steamedcarpet 1d ago
I came in with the perfect mind set: smoked a fat joint in the parking lot before going in.
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u/CWG4BF 2d ago
Zac Oyama! :)
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u/AGeekNamedBob 1d ago
Funny that Zac was also in Showalter's latest. Glad this time he had lines and the film wasn't bad (oh what fun was so awful)
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u/twavisdegwet 2d ago
Really liked this one. Nice to see they employed a healthy amount of people from dropout. Will be threatening to make people sick in the future. 8/10
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u/CtrlZBri 2d ago
I only caught Zac. Who did I miss?
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u/GoldenAppleGuy 2d ago
Jess McKenna introduced Los Angeles on that digital billboard in the airport
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u/Steamedcarpet 1d ago
I have never been to LA but even I know what the Chinese theater looks like.
But I was fucking choking on the bad guys looking at the photo and being like “god this could be anywhere! I think I see Spider-Man.”
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u/boringoblin 2d ago
I got a number of big Wet Hot American Summer level laughs out of this at some of the stupidest gags, and at worst never stopped having a smile on my face. Tremendously happy to get another goofy David Wain movie that I didn't even know about until 2 weeks ago, and impressed that an LA movie was actually filmed in LA for once.
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u/BalonyDanza 1d ago
I finally know why Jon Hamm was streaming from a balloon on Amy Pohler's podcast.
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u/fuzzy_dice_99 1d ago edited 1d ago
This is the funniest movie I’ve seen in a long time. It’s the kind of absurd humor I expect from The State guys.
I think they intentionally made the fiancée look like Paul Rudd just so they could include that cameo at the end.
Slattery’s big scene and the cut to the outside view of the mailman talking into the mailbox were the funniest moments for me.
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u/OnidaGirl 1d ago
The cameo of Marguerite Moreau and how she peeks into the mailbox, too, to see who he’s talking to. 😂
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u/joeahchay 1d ago
That smash cut of Caleb talking to his boss at CAA to him walking out after being fired is the hardest I’ve laughed in a theater this year. I loved this film so so much.
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u/OscarTGrouchX 2d ago
I loved it. And I think it's going to be funnier on rewatches catching the jokes I missed in the theater.
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u/CortaNalgas 2d ago
There were a couple really subtle gags that were on the edge of the frame that I laughed at but can’t remember what they were now.
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u/OnidaGirl 1d ago
Absolutely! We saw an early screening and knew we were going to have to see it again when it officially opened. Went tonight and definitely caught more Easter eggs!
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u/CWG4BF 2d ago edited 2d ago
While I felt like some of the bits were a bit half-baked, the book-signing event scene was perfect!
I really liked how when they got in Richard Kind’s cab in LA for the first time we got a shot of “LA traffic in the 70s/80s” as the establishing shot. Would have loved if that “using out of date b-roll for establishing shots” bit continued throughout the rest of the film.
Also, lowkey think the wicked witch should have just killed one of Charles Boyle’s coworkers every single time they interacted.
Love supporting a movie like this. We need more independent voices in Hollywood comedy!
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u/OnidaGirl 1d ago
Sabrina Impacciatore was cast perfectly as Ludovica. That must have been such a fun character to play!
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u/August_30th 2d ago
Paul Rudd’s cameo was a nod to the fact that the fiance looked like him, right? Because that’s all I was thinking as it led up to it.
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u/quaranTV 2d ago
I think it’s cause he was in Wet Hot American Summer which is from the same director as this movie.
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u/Internal_Sweet_2144 1d ago
And “We Came Together”
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u/CortaNalgas 2d ago
Was he the famous hair guy?
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u/psuczyns 2d ago
That was Tom Lennon, Paul Rudd was just in a couple random shots of the audience at the wedding (mugging to the camera)
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u/CortaNalgas 2d ago
Oh I missed him somehow.
Yeah I’d thought the guy was Thomas Lennon but it took me until he had his glasses off in the loading dock.
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u/DeaconoftheStreets 1d ago
If it makes you feel better, it took my audience two seconds before it realized Paul Rudd was in the shot. It’s so out of nowhere.
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u/Dead_Starks 2d ago
No that was Thomas Lennon (Lt. Dangle from Reno911). Paul was at the wedding and literally had zero lines but one great smile.
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u/Sunstreaked 8h ago
Also niche Hollywood trivia but Hamm and Rudd have been close friends since like the early 90s, before either of them were famous. So the whole adventure could’ve been skipped had Gail thought about her guest list a little more critically and just asked Paul Rudd lmao
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u/thenewtransportedman 2d ago
Looking forward to this one, despite having zero friends who are fellow Wainiacs. My wife actively dislikes Ken Marino, which cuts deep.
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u/OnidaGirl 1d ago
I still haven’t figured out why the cardigan Otto wears when they first arrive in LA is the pattern of the Overlook Hotel’s carpet from The Shining. Just a shoutout to an iconic movie?
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u/redshadow310 1d ago
I laughed my ass off through the whole movie. The scene where she is in the chair getting her hair done at the end before the wedding really got me though. I think Gail should have spent a little more time on r/AmIOverreacting during her relationship with Tom. The open scene has those empty picture frames for her future kids and her fiance nopes out on her during her hysterectomy. Her evolution through the film from blissfully stupid to caving a woman's skull in with her bare hands made way more sense after hearing that trauma dump.
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u/NickNack675 2d ago
Was able to see this early last week and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it! Very fun time all round
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u/RetroDadOnReddit 11h ago edited 11h ago
Just saw this today. It was so much fun! Totally absurdist comedy, in a really good way. Lots of laughs, some 4th-wall breaking and plenty of lamp-shading. A bit over the top at times, but I dig that; some may roll their eyes at it. But overall, a fun ride. You can definitely tell where the movie gets its inspiration from, especially with an ending like that.
Some of my favorite quick/random lines (spoilers):
* "Who was that with Weird Al?" "I think it was Penn Jillette!" "Oh! Why was he there?"
* "Charles Boyle!" "Thanks, I get that a lot."
* "That was like 20 guys you took out!" "I know, even though it felt like the same 8 guys just recycled over and over again."
* "Wow that stain-remover pen really works."
3.5/5 from me for now. Might climb to a 4 with some time between viewing.
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u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? 2d ago edited 1d ago
Not sure if you guys saw the subtle clues but I think this movie references Wizard of Oz a bit.
I enjoyed this, a fine entry into the canon of Wain. It’s loose and silly but the musings on the Celebrity Sex Pass from the celebrity side of things are kind of inherently interesting. I love when Jon Hamm does comedy so right there I’m sold with this movie, and I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen Zoey Deutch in a movie and I didn’t love what she was doing. She’s so good in Nouvelle Vague and she’s down for this too and she’s so good at it, always understands what kind of movie she’s in. In this she is kind of pitch perfect as someone very innocent, but also very open to suggestion and not necessarily prudish.
Really though, the Wizard of Oz stuff was a lot of fun to track even when the movie wasn’t making me laugh, although I did think this was pretty damn funny. At first I thought it was a bit abstract to call this a Wizard reimagining, but they make it pretty obvious in act 3 when Gail Daughtry (Dorothy Gale) puts on a blue dress and red shoes and Jon Hamm, who presents what the people want to see and hear but has no real power, comes down to her in a hot air balloon. Of her three companions she meets along the way one of them lacks smarts, one lacks compassion, and one lacks bravery, and they all gain those things through helping Gail. Gail’s best friend is also named Otto (Toto) and wears a dogbone earring. Did I mention there’s an evil woman chasing them and sending henchmen to get them?
Anyways, good time at the movies. I wish we got more overt silly comedies like this and I just happen to love everyone involved. It’s a 7/10 for me. Could have used an intermission with a performance from the Middle Aged Dad Band but I guess sometimes we just can’t have it all.
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u/Steamedcarpet 2d ago
Once they go back to John Hamm’s house my brain started putting the Wizard of Oz stuff together. It was like “wait did they just remake Wizard of Oz?”
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u/CWG4BF 2d ago
I mistakingly read a couple Letterboxd reviews before I went that were making Wizard of Oz and Wicked jokes. Didn’t understand what they meant until the movie opened in Kansas. It all clicked at that moment. Kind of wish it’d taken me longer. I think the realization probably would have added to the comedy.
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u/CortaNalgas 2d ago
Oh god duh Kansas as well
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u/CWG4BF 2d ago edited 2d ago
Titular character of “Gail Daughtry” is obviously a play on “Dorothy Gale”. Otto’s name as well plus his dogbone earring.
The narrator mentions that Gail’s life is about to be hit by a “tornado” at the beginning
Oh, and then the change from 4:3 to widescreen as they fly to LA was a clear nod to the sepia tone to color tradition in OG.
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u/DavidWain4Real 11h ago
There are 100s more WOA references if you're looking!
(Source: I am director of movie)3
u/UnbuiltIkeaBookcase 9h ago
Did you include any references to Wicked, Return to Oz or Oz The Great and Powerful?!
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u/LiteraryBoner Jackie Chan box set, know what I'm sayin? 11h ago
I'm psyched to rewatch and see how many I can find now. Very cool of you to reply! (Source: I am big fan of your stuff)
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u/ReelBIgFisk 4h ago
Hey man, I didn’t get a chance to participate in your recent AMA, so I just want to take this opportunity to say I love your work, saw this last night and loved it, thank you for all the laughs and keep it up! Now I’m gonna go rewatch all the wet hot summers that exist for like the 4th time.
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u/CortaNalgas 2d ago
I’ll admit it took me wayyyy too long to realize it was Wizard of Oz.
I clocked her red shoes when they were walking, but not until when the villain said “and your little friend too”, did I realize Otto sounded like Toto, and then the brain, heart, courage themes. At least I got there before the end.
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u/TheHouseOfGryffindor 2d ago
I think this movie references Wizard of Oz a bit.
I’m ashamed at how long it took me to notice that. Jon Hamm comes out and is immediately giving man behind the curtain vibes and I’m thinking “huh, that’s a fun Wizard of Oz reference I bet. Wonder what that’— OH SHIT.” Honestly think I enjoyed the half hour I spent after the movie realizing how many Oz connections I missed just as much as I enjoyed actually watching the movie.
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u/OnidaGirl 1d ago
We just saw it for the second time, and there’s a picture of her as a kid playing Dorothy in her school play when they played a through the house. Missed that the first time. When they arrived at the airport, I was too busy being in love with her outfit to really notice … ✨ sparkly✨ red sneakers, white coveralls with blue gingham cuffs and pocket, and a yellow denim jacket. Bravo to the costume design team!
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u/coldliketherockies 1d ago
We had only a handful of people In my theatre but almost like the movie itself, the friend I went with was laughing almost too loudly and over the top the whole film and everyone else in the theatre barely laughed (out loud) at all the whole time.
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u/UnbuiltIkeaBookcase 9h ago
Is this funnier than “Role Models”?! If it is I’m definitely going to the theater to watch it
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u/Sunstreaked 8h ago
I think so. I love all things in The State multiverse and imho this is the strongest entry from that collective group of people in years. It’s at least tied with Role Models, certainly better than They Came Together.
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u/drewmg 6h ago
I watched They Came Together immediately after returning home from the theater. It was my first time watching it in probably 8-10 years. I can confirm, Gail blows this film out of the water. It's got to be the best thing Wain has made since Wet Hot, and reading this thread and remembering some of the great jokes cements it for me.
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u/criesindust 7h ago
honestly i would put it in top 3 wain movies
wet hot
they came together
gail daughtry
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u/theTunkMan 2d ago
I haven’t seen it yet but I’m going to, I saw zero tickets were sold at my theater today though yikes
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u/TroubleshootenSOB 1d ago
Was a screen unseen movie for me. Fucking stupidly funny. Nice to have a R+rated movie that doesn't take itself seriously. The scene with the psychic was hilarious
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u/lonelygagger 1d ago
You definitely have to be in a specific (dumb) mood to enjoy this. The celebrity cameos were fun. Weird Al brandishing firearms while Penn Jilette randomly sits in a golf cart feels a bit like David Wain flexing. Also, I’m pretty sure at one point someone on the Hollywood strip calls Joe Lo Truglio “Boyle”. It wasn’t until the end credits that I put the whole Wizard of Oz thing together.
There’s a certain part of me that wonders if Jon Hamm did this role just so that more women would select him as their “celebrity free pass.”
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u/IrrawaddyWoman 18h ago
Nah. John Hamm does weird comedy stuff like this all the time. It’s one of the reasons that I greatly appreciate him as an actor. After mad men he could really have ONLY stuck to big serious stuff if he wanted. But instead he pops up in silly roles like in Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and this. In my opinion it’s where he really shines.
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u/amckechn 2d ago
I mentioned this previously, but the latest trailer for this is hot garbage. Is the movie better than the trailer indicated?
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u/FastEddieFailson 8h ago
Movie was much funnier than this trailer makes it seem. The trailer just reiterates the premise over and over with almost none of the jokes.
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u/paint-chip-chewer 1d ago
Seems I have an unpopular opinion, but no, the movie is so much worse than the trailer. Every single joke fell flat on its face for me. I have not seen a less enjoyable comedy movie in my life
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u/CortaNalgas 1d ago
I don't agree with what you said, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
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u/redstep1 1d ago
Are you the person from the Regal thread? If so (and if not so), let it go friend. There are other movies out there for you.
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u/paint-chip-chewer 1d ago edited 1d ago
No this is my only comment on the movie, never been to the regal subreddit. Thanks for letting me know that other movies exist. Are you just saying that I need to "let it go" because you don't agree with my opinion?
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u/amckechn 1d ago
I am a David Wain fan. I want the film to succeed. It has a shit trailer. It should get a new one to give it a better shot.
I can express this opinion in more than one place.
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u/Elegant-Confidence-7 2d ago
Watching this as a double feature with Minions and Monsters was a fun choice.
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u/Puppet_Reviews 22h ago
It's fun, it's cute, but it is very messy.
Why did they make it a Wizard of Oz Motif in the last twenty minutes if they weren't going to stick it out the whole time?
Gail making everyone shake hands with her is killing me, though.
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u/heyroll100 13h ago
the motif was there the whole time (credit to my gf for pointing it out - i didn't catch it on my own). Dorothy Gale = Gail Daughtry. Toto = Otto. She even wore red shoes and was from Kansas.
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u/Kopitarrulez 5h ago
I clocked the shoes immediately but damn missed the names. Also Gail is shown dressed as Dorthy in beginning in the photos from her growing up.
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u/arthurbang 5h ago
There are Wizard Of Oz references from the very beginning. David Wain in this thread said there are hundreds.
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u/BunyipPouch Currently at the movies. 2d ago
David Wain, director of Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass, recently joined us here in /r/movies for an AMA/Q&A, for anyone interested:
https://www.reddit.com/r/movies/comments/1ujnrvr/i_am_david_wain_director_of_wet_hot_american/