Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Stop! That! Train! is a madcap disaster comedy about a train on a crash course with a nuclear site due to a severe weather condition.
When train stewards Tess (Ginger Minj) and Dee Dee (Jujubee) find themselves out of a job, they sneak onto the high end Glamazonian Express and disguise themselves as glamazonian stewards. While onboard, they meet rival train stewards Amber (Brooke Lynn Heights), Alli (Marcia Marcia Marcia), and Ayshleiygh (Symone), who bully them.
After the train departs, an employee of the United States Train Command Center, Donna Dusk (Rachel Bloom), discovers that they’re heading into a massive storm that could derail them. Meanwhile, the train loses its breaks and is headed into a nuclear site situated between a shelter for abandoned dogs and the home of Laurie Metcalf. News of the catastrophe reached the President of The United States, Judy Gagwell (RuPaul Charles) and hilarity ensues.
Some Thoughts:
Stop! That! Train! is too big of a mess for anybody other than devout RuPaul’s Drag Race fans to enjoy. While an over-the-top comedy doesn’t have to make sense, the plot still needs to be coherent. The story is so poorly conceived that it feels like the writers handed in a first draft thinking it would magically get cleaned up. The only thing anybody behind this piece of crap cared about was getting as many celebrities involved as possible.
While there are some amusing moments scattered throughout, they’re few and far between. Of the cast of talented drag queens, only Latrice Royale stands out. Royale plays Barbara, a woman whose only purpose is to repeat the same joke ad nauseum. She somehow makes it work, even after it gets a bit stale. Ginger Minj and Jujubee as Dee Dee and Tess are forgettable. They’re so indistinguishable that they could have been one character. Brooke Lynn Heights, Symone, and Marcia Marcia Marcia all have the same problem. Granted, it’s a bit worse for Symone who also has to contend with an awful wig.
It’s a shame that this project wasn’t given more love and care, because this group of drag queens deserve better.
The Final Verdict:
Stop! That! Train! feels like a lackluster skit from the Ru Paul’s Drag Race that plays out too long. It’s dull, tedious, and lacks creative drive.