How funny do you find the title "« Stop this train!» — or rather, its expressive exclamation points — should be a reliable indicator of the number of laughs you'll get from Adam Shankman's insane stream of jokes, repeated every minute. The obvious precursor to this hilarious parody is «"Airplane!"» and many of its parodies of 70s disaster films, but it also draws inspiration from «Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion» и «Mean Girls» .
Directed by World of Wonder co-founders Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, the film is built on the empire's DNA. RuPaul's Drag Race , and its cast is filled to the brim with alumni of the long-running reality show, as well as a host of comedians and the occasional celebrity, many of whom are former judges. Drag Race .
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While RuPaul brings his impeccable comedic timing, cheeky laugh, and sophisticated drag persona to the role of US President Judy Gagwell (a name worthy of a Bond girl of yesteryear), bringing energy to every screen appearance, the real stars and standouts are Ginger Minj and Jujubee, a truly delightful couple. With unfailing sweetness—even despite the inevitable squabbles inherent in the plot—they play Tess and DeeDee, respectively. Best friends since Flight Attendant Academy, their dreams of seeing America in style become increasingly strained with each shift at the budget travel agency Stank Rail.
Their luck changes when, due to a staff shortage, the high-speed luxury train "Glamazon Express" urgently needs stewardesses (gender-neutrality of the word "conductors" be damned) for an imminent departure. This sleek, high-speed train is everything Tess and DeeDee ever dreamed of in their jobs, though the mean girls in first class—led by Amber (Brooke Lynn Hytes), a sardonic tormentor queen since their academy days, accompanied by their novices Aisleigh (Simone) and Allie (Marty Lauter, aka Marcia Marcia Marcia)—immediately relegate them to coach, where the poor souls are.
Things start to look up when a love-starved DeeDee has a big moment with assistant conductor Cal (Brian Jordan Alvarez of TV series "The English Teacher" »"), a goofy handsome man she's been in love with since he appeared in a niche magazine. «"Conductors Whose Penis We Want to See"» . While Alvarez gives it his all as Keanu Reeves, Chris Parnell more subtly emulates Leslie Nielsen as conductor Davenport, prone to making inappropriate pronouncements over the loudspeaker about his descent into drug addiction and prostitution after the breakdown of his marriage.
Just in case it wasn't clear, this movie Very gay, its humor is clearly aimed at an LGBT audience, preferably one on drugs, but doesn't exclude anyone else. As is invariably the case with such film parodies, not every joke hits the mark, but co-writers Conner Wright and Christina Friel throw in so many gags that they often hit the mark. And Shankman—who introduced the film at the NewFest opening, promising, "If «Hairspray» wasn't gay enough for you…" - clearly enjoys working with his large ensemble cast, and an unbridled joy and enthusiasm underpins the material throughout the film.
Serious conflicts arise when Donna Dusk (Rachel Bloom), seemingly the only observant person in the central control tower, sounds the alarm that the train is heading straight into the eye of a catastrophic weather event dubbed "Storm Madness." Around the same time, a lightning strike disables the brakes, rendering the train unstoppable; and a rogue scorpion incapacitates the only person in the crew compartment who knows what they're doing.
In Washington, President Gagwell learns of the situation from his amusingly sycophantic press secretary (Matt Rogers). But Judy suffers a nervous breakdown during a press briefing, reactivating her post-traumatic stress disorder from her service in the Railroad Troops—a Reagan-era military initiative to protect America with railroads. This moment of public confusion leads to a sharp decline in her approval ratings, which peak at "I love her!" and bottom at "Lea Michele, 2020.".
Some of the film's most striking moments are the scenes in and around the Oval Office. RuPaul is so professional that almost every line he delivers is a brilliant joke (I love Judy's campaign slogan: "She's hilarious!"), and Rogers hilariously presides over the press conference with an iron fist. He quickly makes good on his threat to throw out reporters who ask tough questions, drag them out, and send them to work in a Zara handbag sweatshop.
With the train out of control and hurtling toward a nuclear reactor, a dog shelter, and "the home of beloved actress Laurie Metcalf," Tess and Dee Dee are forced to take control: the former entertains and distracts the passengers, while the latter joins Cal at the controls. It's here that Tess, like Cady Heron, inadvertently topples Regina George (played by Amber) from her pedestal and causes a rift with Dee Dee when she loses sight of her true feelings.
The comedy here, of course, stems from the fact that the filmmakers simply slightly modified the standard plane crash scenario, setting it on a train. They even added a nun, like Sister Ruth, played by Helen Reddy, in the horrific in the film "Airport 1975"« and its parody analogue in «"Airplane!"» , played by disaster movie song queen Maureen McGovern.
It's delightfully absurd, right down to the demonstration of safety procedures—a musical number from Amber and company with a rousing dance routine—seat belts and oxygen masks. Even the concept of "stewardesses on a train" is plucked from thin air, as is the hackneyed disaster plot—an explosive depressurization and people being thrown out of open windows or doors. The rules of narrative logic don't apply here. Chaos reigns. Sure, let's turn one train car into a glittering discotheque, and the quiet one into a place for meditation. Why not?
Shankman is confident at the wheel, clearly comfortable in the knowledge that if a joke or comic moment misses the mark, others will follow. The film was shot in a remarkably short 19 days, and while the production design and costumes (by Alessandro Marvelli and Salvador Perez Jr., respectively) echo the inventiveness of «Drag Race» , "Stop this train!"« It's surprisingly well-made. The visual effects in the eye of the storm or the occasionally rough green-screen scenes can look a little shoddy, but that's all part of the fun. One of the funniest moments is the stunt at the end of the film involving President Gagwell, which is reminiscent of a scene from «Mission Impossible» .
Among the stellar supporting cast, Latrice Royale is superb as Barbara, the Stank Rail Hotel front desk clerk and master of quips who constantly switches roles across a variety of jobs; Bloom excels as a no-nonsense character constantly undermined by her coworkers; Sarah Michelle Geller delivers a brilliant performance as herself, leaving everyone she meets completely unmoved; and Lisa Rinna convincingly plays her bitchy character from «Real Housewives» ; Missi Pyle is brilliant as a lustful divorcee unaware that the man she's hitting on is unconscious, and Drew Droege is entertaining as an irritated passenger introduced as "Rich Gay.".
Some of the extended cameos and celebrity visits are funnier than others, but a particularly bad one is Jesse Tyler Ferguson's appearance in a series of poorly written scenes where he plays an arrogant, baby-phobic character sitting across from a pregnant woman (Mayan Lopez).
The main attraction here, however, is the queens, most of whom are relatively new to dramatic roles. The top-notch cast delivers superb villain performances, with the svelte Brooke Lynn Hytes transforming Amber into a Disney-esque drag villain. (Or is that overkill? Isn't it?) All (Aren't Disney villains drag queens?) But the heart of this action-comedy, which is really a high-concept buddy movie, is Ginger Minj and Jujubee, their performances perfectly synchronized, their chemistry charming, and their triumph as the underdog worth rooting for.
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