Coming out of the same studio that gave us RuPaul's Drag Race, and stacked with a whole crew of former contestants, Stop! That! Train! plays like RuPaul basically taking a bow for the entire franchise she's built. It's not really a gay film in the traditional sense, but with so many drag stars from Ru's shows popping up alongside a few cameos from well known out gay actors, I figured it earns a spot on this blog anyway. The whole thing is completely over the top, packed with GenZ slang, loud flashy visuals, and humor that's constantly winking at you knowing how ridiculous it is. Going in you'd assume it's meant to be a laugh riot, and a lot of critics online seem to be eating it up, but I just couldn't get into it at all. I've never really been someone who vibes with campy silly stuff like this, so honestly my reaction doesn't surprise me one bit. The setup follows Tess and DeeDee, two low level stewardesses who sneak onto the fancy Glamazonian E...
The film's plot is simple yet very endearing. 30-something Hugo is a lawyer in New York who is looking for more in his career. He decides to come home to Milwaukee for 2 weeks for Christmas with his best friend Madelyn. Hugo's mom Kate is a big planner and is planning, like every year, many days of activities including possibly the last Christmas eve at the town's favorite train station, which is scheduled to be closed and demolished. Kate secretly is trying to setup Hugo with Patrick, who used to be Hugo's senior (who it turns out has an interesting background). The rest of the story follows Hugo and Patrick falling for each other. Enter Hugo's brother and we see a beautiful relationship building between him and Madelyn. Given Hugo is a lawyer, he tries to save the train station and in the process they get to learn of the queer past of their town, which gives them hope. A conflict comes when Hugo gets offered to be a partner but move to London. But Hugo and Patrick will eventually find ways to make it work, because when you find true love, you really don't want to let it go.
First things first. I had no idea that Hugo and Patrick are real life couple and husbands. No wonder their chemistry was so magnetic with each other. Their flirting with each other and accepting feelings for each other was so well done, I had a permanent smile on my face. Them being gay was no big deal at all and was never brought up. The backstory of the train station shows how different times were back in the day for being gay and our generation has so much to be thankful about. I think the writing team did a good job when it came to handling such a topic and showcase how the current LGBTQ+ generation owes a lot to those who came before them. Yes, everything in the film is happy and cheerful and maybe not practical, but when it is holiday time, a movie like this is absolutely essential which is all about love, and positivity. I did feel that Hugo's brother and Madelyn's sudden togetherness was really not needed and felt strange but hey, like I said, we can all sometimes use a happy ending. Hugo and Patrick's kiss in the end at the same spot as the train station master was a master stroke and a perfect ending to what may happen to them in future.
This movie is all love, heart, cheerfulness, charming and just so beautiful. What's not to like when a film brings a constant smile to your face. Highly recommend this to watch now in holiday season. (8.5/10)
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