"Good luck, and don't fuck it up!"
Written by Mariane Tremblay
Written by Connor Wright and Christina Friel (The Bitch Who Stole Christmas), and directed by Adam Shankman (Hairspray, A Walk to Remember), Stop! That! Train! is an extravaganza and campy, gag-a-minute action comedy that requires being chronically online, being part of the LGBTQ+ community, or being a fan of RuPaul's Drag Race to fully grasp its humour.
Deedee (Jujubee) and Tess (Ginger Minj), two best friends working as train stewardesses, trade their work on Stank Rail for the luxury, opulence (and the hot people) of the Glamazonian Express. When a Stromaganza threatens to crash the high-speed train into Los Angeles, Deedee, Tess, train controller Donna Dusk (Rachel Bloom), and President Gagwell (portrayed by RuPaul, who clearly stole Carol Brady's wig on the set of The Brady Bunch Movie) must join forces to Stop! That! Train!
Drawing inspiration from slapstick and surreal '80's comedies such as Airplane! (1980) and The Naked Gun series (1988-1994), Stop! That! Train is (or wants to be) a fast-paced 92-minute movie that feels like watching a RuPaul's Drag Race skit. Although I’m not sure if I mean that in the best possible way. But one thing's for sure: Stop! That! Train! is definitely not serving Meryl Streep realness.
Shankman's latest movie was one of my most anticipated of the year—when I saw the first trailer, I was gagged. I laughed so much, I thought it would become one of my new favourite comedies. As a fan of both slapstick comedy movies and RuPaul's Drag Race, I thought, "Wow, they really made this movie in the Werk Room just for me." But sadly, and I'll tell it to you straight, I was more entertained by the trailer than the movie itself, which ended up being one of my biggest disappointments of the year so far. And if I had to tell it to you, gay, well, girl... this movie definitely did not serve Charisma, Uniqueness, Nerve and Talent. Although I can't say I didn't have any fun while watching it, I had a few good laughs, but definitely not as much as expected.
While the movie throws joke after joke at the audience and packs every scene with references and cameos, many of the jokes quickly become repetitive. The humour often relies on running gags stretched far beyond their punchline, and after a while, I found myself waiting for the movie to move on to the next bit and just end. Despite its chaotic energy, very little of the comedy actually stuck with me.
One of the movie's biggest strengths is definitely its cast and all its cameos. From Charo, Sarah Michelle Gellar (Cruel Intentions), June Diane Raphael (Grace and Frankie), Nicole Richie, Jesse Tyler Ferguson (Modern Family) to Missi Pyle, Lisa Rinna (The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills), Matt Rogers (Las Culturistas) and RuPaul's long-term friend and collaborator, Michelle Visage (RuPaul's Drag Race), the movie is packed with enough queer icons, Drag Race royalty, and unexpected cameos to keep audiences constantly scanning the screen for who's about to pop up next. So, even when the jokes don't land, there's still fun to be had simply watching this chaotic ensemble bounce off one another.
But the problem with Stop! That! Train! is that once you strip away the cameos and Drag Race references, there's not much left. The movie is constantly moving and throwing jokes at the audience, but I never found myself caring about what was actually happening, which is not necessarily a flaw, as the plot is usually secondary when it comes to slapstick comedies, but when so many jokes fail to land, there's not much to hold on to. And by the time the movie ended, I remembered who showed up, but not much else.
Stop! That! Train! is now playing in theatres, and even though the movie didn't fully work for me, I must admit that having a movie led by drag queens in today's political climate is one hundred per cent something to cheer about, and the best part is that this movie came out right in time to celebrate Pride Month!
Photo Courtesy of Bleecker Street and World of Wonder.
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