S**t & Champagne exists in Dollinger’s Dragsploitation universe, a world built with 1970s television, female power pop culture, and Jack Hill’s female-driven action flicks of the time. Nostalgia triggers like sound effects from Bionic Woman and the climactic music from the trash classic Malibu High (also known as the theme from The People’s Court) are put to good use. The trippy art direction, with all of its popping primary colors, feeds your head good. The movie had me seconds after starting, as soon as I saw the pack of Camel Toe cigarettes. Raunch is the currency of the screenplay and Dollinger makes it rain. However, the narrative always stays within what John Waters termed Good Bad Taste, even if it scrapes the guardrails occasionally.
“…goes both high concept and low brow at once…”
Dollinger as the lead is flawless. Champagne is a magnetic super fox built mighty like the great Tura Santana. She is also funny as f**k, with comic timing that maintains pinpoint accuracy. Martin is such a good villain you could swear you have seen the actor’s work in dozens of pictures before, even though you haven’t. He wields the same force that Susan Tyrell used to throw around with such ease. LeMay has the impossible task of making Brandy’s assault and the ruining of her precious calves, reminiscent of the deaf sister being raped in Savage Streets, a laugh riot and pulls it off regardless. Alaska Thunderfuck is jaw-dropping in a cameo as Janis, a manager at a major retail giant. With laser precision, Thunderfuck presents Janis as the personification of managerial evil so many of us are familiar with.
One of the wonderful things about this flick is that the title will keep the squares out. There is no way to walk into a picture called S**t & Champagne and not have some idea of what you are in for. If this sounds like the kind of title that revs up your weirdie engines, you’ll enjoy it. The film goes both high concept and low brow at once, reaching on up from the bottom. If you exist on a steady diet of cult movies, then this will thrill your appetite. As the great Tucson drag queen Tempest Du’Jour, once said: “Superpussy deserves to be seen.”
"…raunch is the currency of the screenplay..."
