Slouching Towards Branson
| Slouching Towards Branson | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover of the film. | |
| Directed by | Jacob Feldman |
| Written by | Will Wood |
| Produced by | Will Wood |
| Starring | Will Wood |
| Edited by | Jacob Feldman |
| Music by | Will Wood |
Production company | White Rat Studios |
| Distributed by | Hostile City Distribution MVD Entertainment Group |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 106 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Slouching Towards Branson is a 2025 American comedy special and concert film written and performed by alternative musician Will Wood. The film serves as a chronicle of Wood's return to performing after a multi-year hiatus, framing live sets from his "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" tour within a semi-fictionalized narrative. The title of the special is a direct parody of Joan Didion's 1968 essay "Slouching Towards Bethlehem", a literary allusion Wood references throughout. It originally premiered as a digital exclusive on Wood's Patreon platform on August 15, 2025, followed by a live audio soundtrack release to streaming platforms on December 24, 2025. A wider commercial DVD roll-out via Hostile City Distribution and MVD Entertainment Group is scheduled to be released on August 7, 2026.[1][2] Upon release, the film received mostly positive reviews from critics.
Synopsis
The film is presented as a hybrid between stand-up comedy and concert film. The narrative, which Wood describes in the film as "about as true as a true story can be while still being a story", explores the psychological distress following the sudden fame from his viral 2020 hit "I/Me/Myself" and what Wood describes in the film as "[His] big dramatic hiatus announcement and subsequent anticlimactic return to the stage."[3]
However, the core plot centers around a semi-fictionalized road trip taken during this hiatus following a psychedelic mushroom trip. Accompanied by his partner, Christina, and an injured pet rat named Casper, Wood travels to Branson, Missouri to attend a corporate timeshare presentation solely to collect the financial incentives being offered by the company.
Slouching Towards Branson is a film version of the performance from Wood's 2024 "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" tour, Wood's first tour back from hiatus, wherein Wood weaves 10 songs from his discography into the narrative. However, the film utilizes aggressive splicing techniques, match cuts, and chapter breaks, breaking the illusion of a single continuous performance. The film uses these techniques to simulate conversations between characters, emphasize parts of stories, and convey thematic elements.
Release
Prior to the film's release, Wood posted to his YouTube channel a "prologue" featuring a cut scene from the film and an extra live performance of "The Main Character" off his fourth studio album, "In case I make it,". The film originally premiered on Wood's Patreon page on August 15, 2025.[4] Months later, an audio version of the album was released on December 24, 2025, on streaming services.[5] The audio version was preceded by one single, "The Black Box Warrior vs. The Pants", which released on December 21, 2025.[6] Hostile City Distribution is set to produce physical DVDs of the special and MVD Entertainment Group is set to distribute alongside Hostile City on August 7, 2026.[7]
Track listing
All tracks are written by Will Wood.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Slouching Towards Bethlehem" | 3:48 |
| 2. | "The Black Box Warrior vs. The Pants (The Bitter End NYC)" | 9:32 |
| 3. | "Slingshot Through the Poconos in the Batmobile!" | 1:34 |
| 4. | "6up 5oh Copout (The Bitter End NYC)" | 4:01 |
| 5. | "Into the Sunset with No Goodbyes" | 1:44 |
| 6. | "Cicada Days (The Bitter End NYC)" | 4:36 |
| 7. | "A Man in New Pants" | 3:56 |
| 8. | "Against the Kitchen Floor (The Bitter End NYC)" | 5:30 |
| 9. | "Revelations" | 3:50 |
| 10. | "And if I Did, You Deserved It (Pittsburgh Winery)" | 3:54 |
| 11. | "A Man for Whom the World as he Understood it No Longer Existed" | 4:46 |
| 12. | "The Christian Las Vegas is Not Holding" | 3:51 |
| 13. | "2econd 2ight 2eer (Pittsburgh Winery)" | 3:49 |
| 14. | "Salvation" | 6:27 |
| 15. | "Memento Mori (Chameleon Lounge, Spokane)" | 3:48 |
| 16. | "The Service" | 2:57 |
| 17. | "Things Fall Apart" | 9:55 |
| 18. | "Laplace's Angel (Aladdin Theater, Portland OR)" | 4:15 |
| 19. | "Slingshot Through the Ozarks in the Subaru!" | 2:24 |
| 20. | "The Live Entertainment Capital of the Entire Universe is not Holding" | 2:24 |
| 21. | "Well, Better than the Alternative (World's Largest Windchime, Casey, IL)" | 4:14 |
| 22. | "Slouching Towards Branson" | 3:28 |
| 23. | "White Noise (The Bitter End NYC)" | 4:40 |
| Total length: | 1:39:31 | |
Critical reception
The film has received mostly positive reviews. Alex Gold, writing for Desert Sounds Mag, described the film as a "triumphant return" and praised its "genre-defying chaos that refuses every attempt at easy categorization" as well as Wood's "gift for finding comedy in existential dread."[8] Writing for Salt House Creative, Daniel Widdowson referred to the film as "A philosophical spiral disguised as standup" with "Humour that is as intellectual as it is disarming."[9] In a more mixed review, Del Pike writing for V13.net described the show as "unique" and described Wood as "likeable and quirky enough to hold your attention" but also wrote that the emotional impact of some stories "fall flat" and the show may feel "a tad overlong".[10] Christopher Gonda, also writing for V13, called it "maximally creative and innovative."[11] Kacie Fuller of KJHK called a live performance of Slouching "side-splitting" and "thought provoking and beautiful."[12] The film received many small independent film festival awards.[13]
References
- ↑ Torrison, Suzanne (August 15, 2025). "WILL WOOD RELEASES UNIQUE FILM BEHIND HIS RETURN TO MUSIC: "SLOUCHING TOWARDS BRANSON"". Behind the Curtains Media. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Will Wood - Slouching Towards Branson **Indie Exclusive** (DVD) PREORDER". MVD Shop. August 7, 2026. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
- ↑ Writer, Guest (February 11, 2025). "Interview: Will Wood Slouches On". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
- ↑ Myglobalmind_Webzine (August 5, 2025). "Will Wood and the Tapeworms Wrap Up 10-Year Anniversary Tour in Dallas TX, Slouching Towards Branson Release Date Announcement". Your Online Magazine for Hard Rock and Heavy Metal. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Spotify". open.spotify.com. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
- ↑ "Spotify – Web Player". Spotify. Retrieved July 27, 2026.
- ↑ "Will Wood | Slouching Towards Branson | DVD". Hostile City Distribution. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
- ↑ Gold, Alex (August 25, 2025). "106 Minutes in Christian Vegas: WILL WOOD's genre-defying return, exclusively on Patreon". Desert Sounds Mag. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ "REVIEWS – Salt House Creative". Retrieved July 22, 2026.
- ↑ Pike, Del (September 4, 2025). "Will Wood 'Slouching Toward Branson' [Film Review]". V13.net. Retrieved June 21, 2026.
- ↑ g0nda, chr1stoph3r (August 26, 2025). "Will Wood Dives Deep on His Film 'Slouching Towards Branson' [Guest Blog]". V13 Media. Retrieved July 22, 2026.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ↑ Fuller, Kacie (November 9, 2024). "REVIEW AND INTERVIEW WITH WILL WOOD – SLOUCHING TOWARDS BETHLEHEM". KJHK.org.
- ↑ "Slouching Towards Branson". Will Wood. Retrieved June 21, 2026.