The Spoof Comedy is Back with a Vengeance…
With the success of Scary Movie 6 this last weekend and Stop! That! Train! Releasing just a week later, the spoof comedy is back with a vengeance. Unfortunately the Wayans Brothers return to the big screen was met with pretty much universal disdain. So, it’s up to RuPaul and his band of misfit drag queens to save this subgenre of comedy or else it just might become antiquated. So, is Stop! That! Train! laugh out loud hilarious? Is this a movie just for fans of RuPaul’s Drag Race? Or can it be enjoyed by everyone? Let’s talk about it…
What is Stop! That! Train! All About?
The movie follows Deedee and Tess, two train hostesses who work for Stank Rail. But, they get fired from their jobs and in an act of desperation go incognito to work on the Glamazonian Speedway. Unfortunately for these two besties, their high-speed train is heading straight into a Stormaganza. And to top it all off, the train can’t seem to break. So, they must band together with the other Glamazonian bitches, to save all of their passengers from imminent death.
This movie is so awe-inspiringly stupid (in the best possible way) that audiences will be unabashedly entertained.
If that plot sounds ridiculous to you. It’s because it absolutely is. Stop! That! Train! revels in the joy of absurdity. It’s a film that is operating at a level 10 at all times, jumping from one punchline to the next with reckless abandon. And honestly, it will come off as completely manic, juvenile and gross to some viewers. But, for many others, this movie is so awe-inspiringly stupid (in the best possible way) that they will be unabashedly entertained.
This is a Movie for Fans of “Drag Race”…
As a huge fan of the hit reality show myself, there is no doubt that anyone who watches Drag Race religiously, will enjoy this film. There are so many Easter eggs and callbacks from the show, that fans will be constantly well-fed. At the end of the day, Stop! That! Train! is essentially like an improv challenge from the show, just with a much bigger budget and a 90-minute runtime. For better and for worse.
The movie is also filled to the brim with fan-favorite drag queens like Latrice Royale, Jujubee, Brook Lyn Heights, Monet X Change and so many more. It’s honestly just so cool getting to see these former contestants show off their comedy and acting chops up on the silver screen.
Jujubee is unsurprisingly, the real star of Stop! That! Train!.
It was an odd choice having one of viewer’s least-favorite queens, Ginger Minj, be one of the two leads of the film. Though, despite her lack of popularity, Ginger ended up being one of the real standouts. But, that has a lot to do with her chemistry with Jujubee, who is unsurprisingly, the real star of Stop! That! Train!. Latrice Royale also chews the scenery in every scene she’s in, easily having the best joke-to-laugh ratio out of any of the Queens.
How are all of the Celebrity Cameos?
There are so many celebrity cameos, mostly of gay icons, that it’s hard to keep track. Though many of these stars have been promoted heavily in the marketing material, they pretty much all have just a couple of moments of screen time. Sadly, I found a lot of these cameos to fall flat on their face. Many of them have one-punchline jokes that end up going nowhere like Missy Pyle’s Eat Pray Love bit or Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s hatred for living babies. But, there are a few who really understood the assignment like June Diane Raphael and Nicole Richie.
It’s important to note that Brian Jordan Alvarez, who has been hit with some pretty severe sexual assault allegation, has a pretty major role in the film. It feels like the Sherry Pie fiasco all over again.
But, Will General Audiences Find Stop! That! Train! Funny?
The most important thing here is… will people who are not fans, find this film funny? And although comedy is wildly subjective, the answer to that question is, yes. As long as you’re not a prude or a homophobe, there is something here for everyone, in terms of comedy. If you are a lover of Mel Brooks films, “To Wong Foo”, or especially “Airplane!” you are undoubtedly going to appreciate the humor in this movie. When it comes to jokes, director Adam Shankman and his cast pretty much throw everything at the wall to see what sticks. Admittedly, there is a lot here that doesn’t stick. But, what does, will no doubt make you howl with laughter. Although the comedy is totally immature, there is actually a lot of creativity behind many of these laughs.
The Final Verdict
If you are a RuPaul’s Drag Race fan, enjoy going to drag shows or are simply a lover of just plain stupid comedy… you are going to get a kick out of Stop! That! Train!. What director Adam Shankman has done here is string together an asinine disaster plot as an excuse to let these talented drag queens shine. RuPaul’s main mission is to bring joy to people through being authentically silly. And this movie gives the icon a space to be silly with no holds barred on a massive scale.
Your mileage will vary on this movie depending on your taste in humor and tolerability of insane campiness. But, if you’ve been missing the days of non-Politically Correct comedy on the big screen… go out and support Stop! That! Train!. Hopefully this is just the first, in a long line of feature films from the world of Drag Race.
And with that, the library is closed.
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