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...
Jerry is a young, ex famous you-tuber, stay-at-home dad who has been taking care of his son Kai for the past three years. His husband Damian is a successful restauranteur and the primary breadwinner of their family. Now that Kai is growing, Jerry wants to revive his YouTuber career by sending Kai to kindergarden. Damian is initially reluctant but eventually gives in. The discussion of who he is to Kai, becomes a topic of discussion amongst school moms. Interestingly Jerry is also not out to his parents, so in a span of 6 episodes, we just see six different slices of the couple's life which involves pride parade, Jerrys coming out, The couples chemistry with their lesbian friends and the our ours and gossip around Kai having gay parents. Jerry constantly faces pressure from his meddlesome mom, who wants her son to find a nice girl and get married already. Neither of Jerry’s parents actually knows that they have a grandchild. He intends to keep this secret from them for as long as possible.
I have already mentioned my personal big issue with the series, but keeping that aside for now, I liked the fact that Jerry and Damian had old chemistry. Despite being together for 6 years, they encourage each other, express appreciation, and engage in physical intimacy frequently. They have a close knit circle of friends and they both are doing a good job of balancing their work, love and parenting life. As an actor, Jerry is extremely charming which also justifies him being a successful YouTuber. I wish Damian's character ws slightly more developed. The series ends with a twist, which is a bit hard to digest but then its also the sort of prelude to make a follow up season. Also, I find it extremely hard to believe that Jerry's parents won't know about their son being gay or the fact that they have a grandchild. I mean, even if a child is scared to come out their parent, that person will very unlikely take big steps like marrying and having a child. This portion for me stood outline a sore thumb. The series deals with issues like homophobia, child bullying, and adoption even in today's age, but neither is given the proper attention and discussion that they deserve. Despite all this , the series definitely deserves a watch for its realistic portrayal of a gay couple and their life. Just keep the expectations around what the series should be, a bit different. At 6 episodes of about 20-24 minutes each, the series is an easy breezy watch. (7.5/10)
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PS: I saw a short story today with the Gameboys lead. "How to die young in Manilla" . Not sure what do I make of it yet!!
I'll go and watch the short with gameboys leads! As to what to do with it... Maybe mention it in the gameboys page? (you're doing so many reviews already, if you do all shorts as well you won't have enough with one life ^^;)
Just not enough time on hands right now