Reviewed by Colin Jacobson (October 11, 2026)
Mainly thanks to the eternal popularity of the 1939 film version, many variations on the narrative from L. Frank Baum’s 1900 classic The Wonderful Wizard of Oz have popped up over the decades. For a decidedly adult-flavored take, we go to 2026’s Gail Daughtry and the Celebrity Sex Pass.
Small-town girl Gail Daughtry (Zoey Deutch) enjoys a seemingly idyllic relationship with fiancé Tom Soursap McNoodleman (Michael Cassidy). As a goof, they agree that each one gets a “celebrity sex pass” that means that person could have intercourse with a particular famous person.
After Tom actually manages to punch this ticket with a big TV star, Gail feels betrayed and decides she can only right this wrong if she uses her hall pass. On a visit to Hollywood with pal Otto (Miles Gutierrez-Riley), Gail embarks on a quest to find and do the deed with Jon Hamm.
In the movie’s trailer, we hear that Pass comes from the folks behind Wet Hot American Summer, Role Models and They Came Together. For some, that would offer enticement to see Pass.
For me… not so much. While I thought Role Models offered fairly good comedy, the other two turned into less than effective parodies.
This becomes an issue with Pass as well. The movie winks at the audience so persistently that it becomes far too self-conscious for its own good.
The emphasis on its Oz theme seems borderline obnoxious. I get the impression the filmmakers came up with the idea of a smutty Wizard of Oz and worked overtime to cobble everything else around it.
I wouldn’t mind a movie with a light nod toward Oz but Pass just takes it to an annoying extreme. The film beats us over the head with the connections to the point that they become a distraction.
That winking tone also can make Pass less than successful at times. This creates a distance in the viewer for which it can’t quite compensate.
All that said, Pass nonetheless manages to muster enough laughs to make it watchable. As much as I found myself irritated with the cloying tone and the silly flourishes, the film still gives us decent entertainment.
The actors help, with an emphasis on Deutch as our lead. She doesn’t attempt to imitate Judy Garland or any others who played Dorothy but she brings a relentlessly chipper tone that works for the part.
The rest of the cast does fine as well, though the movie’s cameos become another winking annoyance. Some add to the film but too many just seem gratuitous.
Actually, “gratuitous” offers a good description of a lot of Pass, as the film can often exist as an homage to its creators self-satisfaction. Still, even with its many drawbacks, it creates reasonable entertainment.
Footnote: a tag scene appears after the finish of the end credits.
