Stop! That! Train!

If Airplane! had been directed by John Waters, you’d likely end up with Stop! That! Train!. With Adam Shankman at the helm (no surprises there; he directed the Hairspray remake), this disaster movie pastiche is an enjoyable sassfest.

After losing their jobs at budget trainline Stank Rail, BBFs Tess and DeeDee (Drag Race stars Ginger Minj and Jujubee) seize an opportunity to work at the Glamazonian Express, a high-speed railway complete with Pinterest-worthy pastel interiors and an elite clientele. They’re met with derision by the train’s very own Regina George, Amber (Brooke Lynn Hytes), and her two hangers-on, Alli (Marty Lauter) and Ayshleiygh (Symone). As disaster looms in the form of Stormaganza, it’s up to Tess, DeeDee and Donna Dusk (Rachel Bloom), a similarly downtrodden woman subjected to workplace sexism at the train command centre, to save the day.

Ginger Minj and Jujubee are delightful leads, infusing the camp with just the right amount of pathos without veering on schmaltz. RuPaul, whose few acting credits include But I’m a Cheerleader, a similarly Waters-esque satire, is in his element as President Judy Gagwell, an amalgamation of Hillary Clinton’s girlboss feminism and Trump’s autocratic populism. As with the classic disaster flicks, there are cameos aplenty, including Sarah Michelle Gellar as a fictional version of herself whom no one recognises and Nicole Richie as a grieving daughter who brings her mother (in casket form) along for the ride.

When the film dishes the zany gags and leans into its unique marriage of camp and ZAZ (Abrahams and Zucker) comedy, it’s a joy to watch. “The brakes – they’re fried,” cutting to, well, quite literally the brakes being deep-fried could have come straight from the pen of the trio themselves. And Chris Parnell perfectly channels Airplane!‘s Captain Clarence Oveur as Conductor Davenport, complete with baritone and rambling TMI tales of his messy personal life. However, there are prolonged segments, particularly by the third act, where the gags land few and far between. Nevertheless, Tess and DeeDee are enjoyable company even when the script doesn’t allow them to shine as brightly as they should.

With its offbeat cast of characters – all played with Glamazonian gusto by the leading ladies – Stop! That! Train! is fabulously entertaining viewing, and a worthy addition to the sorely missed drag movie canon. This reviewer doesn’t want this riotous RuPaul vehicle to sashay away.

Antonia Georgiou

Stop! That! Train! is released nationwide on 21^st August 2026.

Watch the trailer for Stop! That! Train! here: