Stop! That! Train!
review by Bobby Blakey
In 1993 RuPaul took the world by storm with the hit single Supermodel (You Better Work) After essentially taking over the world of entertainment the focus shifted to the TV series RuPaul’s Drag Race that has run for 18 seasons. Now Hairspray and Rock of Ages director Adam Shankman is bringing the laughs to the Drag Race world with the new comedy Stop! That! Train! starring Ginger Minj, Jujubee, Symone, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Marcia Marcia Marcia and RuPaul. Could this film bring the promised laughs, or will it be a train not worth stopping for?
Stop! That! Train! follows best friends Tess and DeeDee, train stewardesses who trade their dreary shifts on the Stank Rail for the glitzy Glamazonian Express. When a catastrophic “Stormaganza” threatens to derail the high-speed train and crash it into Los Angeles, the duo in coach must join forces with the snobby first-class attendants and President Gagwell to save the day in this wild ride of camp and comedy.
I had zero interest in this film for no other reason than I have never been a fan of Ru Pual or the reality show Drag Race. I knew the concept was silly but didn’t expect them to lean into it the way it did. The film takes place in the world of Ru Paul’s Drag Race but is its own thing. It plays up as a spoof film bringing plenty of laughs and absurdity delivering a film that is way more fun than it had any right being.
The reason it works is that it doesn’t try to be a drag film and instead plays some of it straight which makes the comedy hit harder. The two leads, Ginger Minj and Jujubee are so funny and have great chemistry together. They go all in with the
comedy going in some silly and goofy scenarios and never let up. When you let the goofiness take over you can have a ton of fun and they bring it. The rest of the cast are all in as well fully embracing their characters and styles to enhance the laughs. They make fun of themselves and everything else makes it work more than I thought it was going to.
While nowhere near on the same level, the tone leans into that of films like Airplane and works. There are some great running gags with one of the best being a reoccurring celebrity appearance that had me cracking up. Ru Paul isn’t in the film that much, which I think was best as it allowed the other cast to shine and not get overshadowed by the popularity of the famed drag queen. Her smaller role is still funny as the President and brings plenty of laughs and usual fabulousness. There are plenty of jokes that don’t land, but the more absurd it gets the funnier it is.
This film isn’t for everyone and if you are one of those that get scared of the existence of a drag queen then this will clearly not be for you. If you can just go into the absurdness comedy it is and let silliness reign, then you might just have some good laughs.
Decide for yourself and check out Stop! That! Train! when it hits Blu-ray on September 14th from Bleeker Street and World of Wonder.