‘Stop! That! Train!’ Review: ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ Comes to the Big Screen as a Throwback Spoof Film

For 18 seasons and counting (plus a plethora of All-Stars installments, international franchises, “Vs. the Worlds,” and the bad fever dream that was “Global All-Stars”), “RuPaul‘s Drag Race” has prepped fans to expect/dread the Acting Maxi Challenge. A staple of the groundbreaking reality series, the acting challenges typically arrive within the first three episodes of any given season, throwing the next batch of wannabe America’s Next Drag Superstars into a series of comedic sketches that are, notoriously, hot garbage.

Stuffed to the brim with lowest-common-denominator queer humor, poorly conceived characters, and situational comedy that rarely manages to locate an actual “situation,” an acting challenge episode isn’t fun because of any of the material the drag performers are given. They’re enjoyable mostly as a demonstration of the talents of the truly exceptional comedians in the casts, the ones who can rise above and elevate a weak foundation into something exceptional, such as Bob the Drag Queen’s Season 8 masterclass (although watching an utter trainwreck sketch on the show can be a pleasure in its own unhinged way).

“Stop! That! Train!“, the latest extension of the “Drag Race” brand, is, thankfully, better conceived and produced than your average sketch on the show, an attempt to marry the reality TV juggernaut’s celebration of queer culture with the daffy delight of the spoof movie — specifically, the ’70s spoofs of Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker, more “The Naked Gun” than “Scary Movie.” Still, this in-house effort by the show’s production company World of Wonder — it was developed by studio founders Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, with a script penned by Christina Friel and Connor Wright, who previously wrote the 2021 TV special “The Bitch Who Stole Christmas” — doesn’t quite have the wit or effortless quick pace of the comedy classics it’s aping.

Filled with sight gags, innuendos, and puns galore, “Stop! That! Train!” has a shaky hit or miss ratio in its humor, with great jokes wedged between hacky bits that land like a botched lip sync death drop. And it’s unmistakably a fan only affair, carrying much of the show’s DNA to the big screen: RuPaul herself plays the president, director Adam Shankman (who only glancingly gets a chance to bring some of the verve he brought to his winning “Hairspray” adaptation in the film‘s measly two musical numbers) is a former guest judge on the series, while plenty of other guest judges fill out the overstuffed roster of celebrity cameos that range from funny (Sarah Michelle Geller as a version of herself desperately trying to get people to remember her) to a bit pointless (Jesse Tyler Ferguson as a mean gay who…hates pregnant women?).

Like any great Acting Challenge from the show, the breezy 90-minute lark is unsurprisingly at its best focusing on drag. The material may be spotty, but the principal cast of alums from “Drag Race” — led by former winner Ginger Minj and fan favorite Jujubee — are committed as the goofy heroes of the story, and it’s their sparkling work that elevates sometimes middling jokes into a film that earns comparisons to the comedy classics it’s so clearly inspired by.

Set in a world where the most glamorous job in all of America is to be a hostess on a high-speed railway spanning the country, “Stop! That! Train!” introduces us to its daffy disaster plot through the wide eyes of best friends Tess (Ginger Minj) and DeeDee (Jujubee), misfit best friends from “Train Hostess Academy” who have been slumming it working on the budget Stank Rail. When the poorly managed company closes, the two — who long promised each other they would explore the world as best friends — sneak aboard the utterly glamorous Glamazonian Express, a new high-speed rail that’s the peak of luxury. Alas, the hostess food chain is ruled by their school bully Amber (“Canada’s Drag Race” host Brooke Lynn Heights), and they’re soon relegated to the commercial cabins. But when the Glamazonian ends up on course to hit a “Stormaganza” weather event, they become the only duo that can save the train — and, perhaps, the country?

Proudly dumb and daffy in its execution, “Stop! That! Train!” usually gets its best bits when it’s most directly aping the prop-heavy comedy of “Airplane!” — an early killer joke sees Dee Dee describe her love interest, jockish co-conductor Cal (Brian Jordan Alverez) as “voted the no. 1 conductor we want to see the dick of in “Conductors We Want to See the Dick Of” magazine,” followed by a quick pan to a passenger browsing the oddly specific publication. When it strays from that formula for the type of boilerplate humor you can find on the reality show’s sketches, it tends to falter, with lazy gags that often rest on dated references — one joke depends on your ability to remember Lea Michele’s image rehab issues from six years ago.

Again, though, the central drag queens keep things running steadily — as a showcase for how the “Drag Race” bootcamp can prepare a queen for showbiz, the film proves an unqualified success. Jujubee, a figure in the “Drag Race” lore so beloved fans would edit her into every season if they could, is a particular standout, underplaying the broad ditz Dee Dee into a sincere, bubbly delight. As the slightly more sensible Tess, Ginger Minj is the glue of the production, ably carrying the heavy burden of turning the very silly storyline into something broadly coherent. Brooke Lynn Heights can play the withering queen bee role she’s given in her sleep, while Marcia Marcia Marcia and Symoné prove amusingly bitchy lackies. Latrice Royale, as the sarcastic dispatcher Barbra, can read a phone book and make it compelling.

In the film’s exhaustive cast list, a few of the non-drag performers manage to stick out. Rachel Bloom, as the control tower monitor attempting to organize a response to the disaster, has the most clear character to embody as the put-upon straight man, while Chris Parnell as Conductor Davenport (whose character name references one of the reality TV show’s most well-known drag families) is a daffy scene stealer before he’s disposed of for plot reasons. On the other hand, Alvarez — in addition to serving as an uncomfortable screen presence following several sexual harassment and assault allegations — is never believable as a dull-witted straight bro, while Matt Rogers is more grating than lovable as the president’s right-hand gay.

The latter is especially a shame, as the scenes following RuPaul’s President Judy Gagwell are the closest the purposefully unserious film comes to approaching pointed satire. An ex-veteran of the “railway branch” of the U.S. armed forces, Gagwell is a president whose administration runs on pure vibes — her campaign slogan was “She Fun,” and she spends her afternoons joking to her staff about plans to bomb Russia. After years where she was more well known as a TV personality than a performer in her own right, “Stop! That! Train!” serves as a reminder of how RuPaul became the indisputable queen of drag — she has a gravitas in the role that can’t be denied, with her signature cackle and rubbery facial comedy that anchors some of the film’s funniest scenes.

Filmed in just 19 days, “Stop! That! Train!” shows its quick production schedule around the edges. The film often feels like a series of first takes that could have used more polishing to really hit, and Shankman only occasionally marries the spoof approach with quick, sharp filmmaking. The musical numbers, forgettable disco pastiches, are fun but feel constrained rather than inspired by the small, narrow sets, the visual effects look about as expensive as the green screens the show makes heavy use of, and the washed-out lighting can be as ugly as a particularly tragic “Drag Race” runway. In the weeks before release, the film faced several accusations of using generative AI in its special effects, which various members of the production have denied. Regardless of whether or not any AI was used in the production, the fact that there are suspicions should let you know that this is not a great work of visual beauty.

It’s also far too much discourse for a film as fluffy as “Stop! That! Train!” to be capable of supporting. A film 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. With the art form constantly under conservative attacks, that’s something to celebrate, even if their talents eclipse this wobbly train ride.

Grade: B-

Bleeker Street will release “Stop! That! Train!” in theaters nationwide on June 12.