Movie Review: Stop! That! Train!

By John Corrado

What if you made a disaster movie parody in the spirit of Airplane!, but starring a cast of drag queens who play the entire thing in character as women?

That’s the premise behind Stop! That! Train!, the new comedy from producer RuPaul and director Adam Shankman. The result is a proudly stupid comedy in the tradition of the Zucker brothers, that also plays like an extended bit from RuPaul’s Drag Race.

This is all intentionally campy and over the top, so it’s best to approach Stop! That! Train! knowing what you are getting into in order to properly enjoy it; this is a turn your brain off type of comedy. Being a Drag Race fan isn’t required to enjoy the film, but will probably help somewhat.

The film follows Tess (Ginger Minj) and DeeDee (Jujubee), two best friends and train stewardesses who are laid off from their jobs on budget railway Stank Rail, and take jobs aboard the Glamazonian Express. But they are faced with a dreaded Stormaganza that threatens to derail the train, which is being piloted by a dolt of a co-conductor (Brian Jordan Alvarez), whose one claim to fame is that he appeared as the top model in the “conductors we’d like to see the dick of” magazine.

In addition to Ginger Minj and Jujubee, the film also features drag queens Symone, Brooke Lynne Hytes and Marcia Marcia Marcia as a trio of snobby attendants in first class, who come with their own choreo. RuPaul also appears in a supporting role as the country’s Madam President, President Gagwell, who is more concerned about keeping her approval ratings high and living up to her campaign motto of “she fun.”

It’s a hard thing to pull off this sort of multiple gags a minute comedy, where if one joke doesn’t land, hopefully the next two or three in the same scene will. The film isn’t always successful, and can feel like a sketch stretched out to feature length, including visual effects that look like they were done on a shoestring budget (some AI was also reportedly used, despite mixed messaging around that).

But the hit rate on the gags is just high enough for Stop! That! Train! to be consistently amusing for the most part. Shankman embraces the inherent goofiness that is required for this type of spoof movie, and keeps the energy high. The director is probably best known for his 2007 musical Hairspray, which famously had John Travolta in drag, and that influence is further felt here in a couple of musical numbers. If anything, the film could’ve embraced being even more of a musical.

Shankman delivers a steady stream of sight gags, puns, double entendres and celebrity cameos, aided by his comedically talented cast of drag superstars. It’s stupid, yes, but that’s the whole point. And it’s only about ninety minutes long, so doesn’t overstay its welcome. It delivers some laughs and fun for Pride Month, and that’s all that really counts.