Director: Amanda Richards
Seeking to find a space alongside other cult favourites such as The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Phantom of the Paradise, and Repo! The Genetic Opera, this new independent feature written and directed by Amanda Richards, finds its way to the Raindance Film Festival.
Whiskey Williams (played by Richards) is a singer aiming for stardom, but derailed when she loses her driving licence after being caught masturbating behind the wheel – her antics go viral, but her heart remains at home in her local bar, where a variety of low-lifes and messed up people meet to drown their sorrows.
Whiskey Dixie is first and foremost a musical, and it is packed with fantasy numbers that propel Whiskey and other characters into dirty dreamscapes, but with a relentless focus on sex and swearing, the message wears a little thin. Richards is clearly a gifted singer, and some of the lyrics are amusing enough as they rush to include any form of sexual activity you can think of involving any part of the body you could name.
When the proprietor of the bar dies and leaves the business to her rock star grandson, Dick Princess (John Bruner), the story turns to Whiskey’s attraction to the new face in town. Bartender Trish (Brandie Sylfae) is the laconic commentator on the comings and goings of her customers, going as far as to perform an interpretative dance about a curious female bodily function.
This film has its roots in a stage production, performed in 2018, and has reached the screen with the original cast and ethos intact. There are not that many wide angles, and now and then the close-up reaction shots betray their theatre origins. What does work well are those musical numbers and their imaginative delivery, even if your mouth may be dropping open while you can’t quite believe you are listening to songs about STDs, sexual assault, or how to effectively perform a function ‘downstairs’.
There are 28 songs over a run-time of around 116 minutes, with minimal dialogue. If hearing catchy tunes about personal hygiene, drug consumption, or premature ejaculation is what you are seeking in your next film musical, then Whiskey Dixie and the Big Wet Country might be a good choice.
In support, the rest of the cast adds significant colour and contrast to the main characters. The Good Long Whiles rock up as the band, adding a comic flair to their bluegrass and folk roots. Tyler Shilstone adds comic awfulness as Jerry, Dennis Fitzpatrick is the racist and sexist Roger, and Michele Brouse-Peoples creates a truly ghastly Maryann (Dick’s mother). Female-led and starring several performers somewhat older than Hollywood norms. Whiskey Dixie generally has a feel of watching your parents behaving badly.
Set against the backdrop of American women losing some of their autonomy – for example, by the overturning of Roe vs Wade – Richards’ screenplay and songwriting is about taking back control and standing against problematic people and symbols (Donald Trump, the Confederate Flag, Christian pro-lifers, even perceptions of sexual exploration being OK for a man and slutty for a woman).
Whether it will be noticed enough to draw that cult attention, or whether it will turn off audiences with its frank wordplay, remains to be seen. The soundtrack is possibly more valuable than the film itself as it stands, but Whiskey Dixie has some good ideas that make it worth a look.
Whiskey Dixie and the Big Wet Country is screening at the Raindance Film Festival 2026 from 17-26 June.
