Stop! That! Train! reviews hail RuPaul’s camp disaster spoof with 88% Rotten Tomatoes debut
RuPaul (Image: Getty Images)
Early reviews for RuPaul’s drag-led disaster movie spoof Stop! That! Train! are landing warmly, with critics leaning into its camp, Pride Month-ready appeal ahead of its 12 June cinema release. The trailer promises a knowingly silly, high-speed ride, with Ginger Minj and Jujubee front and centre and RuPaul popping up as “President Gagwell”.
The film follows best friends Tess (Ginger Minj) and DeeDee (Jujubee), train stewardesses who swap their dreary shifts on the “Stank Rail” for the glitzy “Glamazonian Express”. When a catastrophic “Stormaganza” threatens to derail the train and crash it into Los Angeles, the pair in coach have to team up with snobby first class attendants Symone, Brooke Lynn Hytes and Marcia Marcia Marcia, plus President Gagwell, to save the day.
At the time of writing, the film was listed at 87% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes. Slant Magazine awarded it 3 out of 4, writing: “Stop! That! Train! handles the dumbest things with just the right amount of seriousness, and it’s more than self-aware of its own silliness.”
The Hollywood Reporter also singled out the central duo, saying: “The heart of this action-comedy that’s really a high-concept girlfriend movie is Ginger Minj and Jujubee, their characterizations in perfect sync, their rapport endearing and their triumph-of-the-underdog arc something worth rooting for.”
What critics are saying
Not every review is convinced it will be endlessly rewatchable, even when the vibe is appreciated. IndieWire called it: “A movie best enjoyed about three margaritas deep, it’s not as disposable as your average acting challenge sketch from the show, but it’s not likely to register as a comedy that can be endlessly revisited, either. It’s best appreciated as a platform for some great drag artists, getting a chance at real leading lady glory during Pride Month.”
A Pride Month cinema night out
Drag Race has become a major global pop-culture franchise, with alumni increasingly crossing into scripted TV, film, music, and touring. Camp disaster spoofs also sit in a long queer viewing tradition that includes midnight movies, quote-along comedies, and communal bar screenings, and Stop! That! Train! also has a cameo line-up that stretches beyond the Drag Race universe.
The Boston Globe, which rated it 2 out of 5 stars, still predicted a long afterlife in queer spaces: “Despite its flaws, I imagine a long shelf life for this movie. I can see it playing on screens at gay bars and at watch parties where the drinks flow freely and the ‘reading’ really is fundamental.”
