In a surreal, albeit welcome, turn of events, the comically bad acting challenges of RuPaul’s Drag Race have inspired an emphatically titled feature: Stop! That! Train!. And based on the just-released trailer for the film, which is directed by Adam Shankman (Hairspray) and stars a number of Drag Race favorites, it’ll be every bit the train wreck that the challenges are — a fact we very much applaud.
Channeling scripted skits like “Good God Girl, Get Out,” “Gay’s Anatomy,” and “Drag Queens in Outer Space,” the runaway-train comedy stars Drag Race regulars Ginger Minj and Jujubee as best friends and coworkers aboard the Stank Rail. The coach stewardesses, who dream of a better work life on the glitzy Glamazonian Express, are jolted into action when a catastrophic storm — ”Stormganza,” of course — threatens to derail their train and send it hurtling into Los Angeles. Putting aside their egos, sort of, the duo team up with a handful of first-class attendants (Symone, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Marcia Marcia Marcia) and RuPaul’s President Gagwell to keep the crisis contained.
In the lengthy trailer for the zany 92-minute feature, the Drag Race alums and creator are joined by a slew of comedians and icons hailing from the worlds of film, stand-up, stage-acting, and podcasting. Las Culturistas cohost Matt Rogers plays the president’s right-hand man; Crazy Ex-Girlfriend star Rachel Bloom heads up mission control, flanked by Guy Branum and Charo; and onboard the topsy-turvy locomotive, stars like Sarah Michelle Gellar and Lisa Rinna can be seen getting in on the fun. Even in the approximately 2-minute sneak peek, the barrage of famous faces, which the trailer pokes fun at in its final seconds, causes a dizzying sensation. And that's before you start unpacking the lengthy list of pop culture references, from 1980s and ‘90s spoof films like Airplane! and Mars Attacks! to action flicks like Speed, which are all strung together with a Drag Race, devil-may-care sensibility.
Shankman, who also helmed 2000s rom-coms like A Walk to Remember and The Wedding Planner, may be one of the few working directors who could make sense of it all — if, in the end, he does. After all, he clearly understands how to merge over-the-top aesthetics and biting wit, given that legendary filmmaker John Waters, who can be seen in nearly everything film-related that RuPaul does, put his faith in the director for the 2007 remake of Hairspray. And while the project wasn’t exactly critically acclaimed, Shankman worked with the “Cover Girl” singer on the Netflix series AJ and the Queen, meaning that he’s already an indoctrinated member of the Drag Race crew.
Whether Stop! That! Train! manages to stay on track or completely goes off the rails is maybe besides the point anyway. What we're more interested in is its potential to become a full-on theatrical event come June — because, if there has been a recent film more worthy of movie house takeovers by fans in themed ensembles, we can’t think of it. Now, if only there were a branded popcorn bowl…
Stop! That! Train! will release in theaters nationwide on June 12. Watch the trailer below.- YouTube www.youtube.com
