Don’t miss RuPaul, Jujubee and Ginger Minj in “Stop! That! Train!”

*Gasps wearing 10-inch heels*

​The Glamazonian high-speed rail is headed right into a dangerous Stormaganza! Can the sexy train stewardesses, played by drag icons Jujubee and Ginger Minj, save the very gay day?

​Stop! That! Train! is a high-speed adventure that totally goes off the rails in the best way. Jujubee and Ginger Minj make the film a wildly heartwarming and genuinely endearing experience for moviegoers. No jokes punch down in a way that isolates; this is a blockbuster that everyone can enjoy seeing. It could even be a way for folks to introduce family members to the Drag Race universe, as who doesn’t love a funny comedy movie in the summer?

​The film isn’t just all about Mother Ru; it gives space for everyone to step up and shine. Jujubee and Ginger Minj play the lovable underdogs looking to make it big in the world of locomotive service. They turn in a cosmically stupid performance (full compliment), as their ditsiness is only matched by their commitment to the bit.

​The train does spins, if you were wondering how serious the film is. We all need a hearty laugh nowadays, and I can’t think of a better way to receive it than from a fully queer project like this.

​The film isn’t just a success in terms of comedy; it’s breaking new ground. It’s the first film starring drag queens to be released to a national movie theater audience. When given the platform and freedom to make something, we can churn out a film that’s campy, quotable, and elevated without sacrificing the authenticity at its core. That’s a lot like what drag does, and you could say the film completes this mission too.

​Disaster movies have always been an entertaining thrill ride, offering more than meets the eye. Behind the giant wave overtaking a city or everybody running from an incoming meteor, this genre always taps into the best and worst of people. One could argue drag completes the same task. It peels back the heart’s layers and forces you to confront exactly who you truly are.

​The film, like many entries in the spoof genre, is genuinely very funny. There’s a clear perspective worth applauding, like the President character’s approval rating hitting a low of “Lea Michele 2020.” That is queer comedy, all exacerbated by tastefully over-the-top performances using props and other key elements of parody.

​While not every joke arrives at its destination on time, nothing falls flat or feels as painful as touching the third rail. Importantly, risks are taken, and no reference was so ancient that only Stonewall’s first fighters would recognize it.

The movie is unapologetically silly, and that is worth celebrating. So much of queer cinema proves heavy or overly emotional, and while those stories always hold merit, sometimes we just need to laugh together. There is just as much to learn from our joy as from our pain. Stop! That! Train! chugs along to remind us how wonderful our work can be when LGBTQ+ joy is the engine under the hood. Do trains have hoods?

​Adam Shankman crushed it as director, filling the role of a metaphorical conductor behind the scenes and making sure everything ran ahead of schedule. The movie was made in just 19 days.

​During its premiere at Newfest, a popular LGBTQ+ film festival, several cast members and producers chatted with Out in Jersey about the momentous movie. The red carpet interviews will be available on Out in Jersey’s social media.

​The movie is more than just another option under ‘LGBTQ LOLs’ or whatever Pride-themed branding befalls your streaming site. The whole movie is balls-to-the-wall crazy, unless you’re tucked, of course.

​As always, RuPaul Charles shines in every frame of the film. She plays the fierce president with a ludicrous determination and a backstory that you have to see to believe. Stopping a train evolves into a moral mission for our pretty POTUS as a way to clean up her past, surprisingly giving depth to a character who ate up every second of screen time.

​Actor and prevalent podcaster Matt Rogers plays the eager-to-please assistant to President RuPaul. Rogers lands each joke, like accidentally hitting a ‘Nuke Russia’ button casually on the Resolution Desk. The gay star holds his own opposite his most frequent scene partner, RuPaul, which is no small feat.

​This movie absolutely owns how stupid it is. It leans heavily into the hilarity and exaggerated lives that only drag performers can portray. It fully understands its mission of absurdity and definitely delivers with no delay. (Sorry, I’m nearing the caboose of these train puns.)

​If not for the zany plot, check out the film for all the celebrity cameos and special guest pop-ins. June Diane Raphael delivers one of the most side-splitting lines throughout, and even the legendary Sarah Michelle Gellar is along for the (train) ride with a laugh-out-loud runner guaranteed to make you giggle.

​You can hop aboard Stop! That! Train! in theaters all across the country this Pride Month.