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...
We are introduced to two couples. Shane's boyfriend Ethan loves to party and drink all the time. Has has also been cheating on Shane multiple times and Shane knows about it but is stuck in the relationship because of financial codependency and having gotten a new house together. Then we have Jonathan, who is in relationship with Sam, (who later we are told is bipolar), where Sam doesn't like going out and likes Jonathan having any friends or meeting his family and in fact even sometimes gets abusive to Jonathan. Since Jonathan feels Sam came out for him and was abandoned by his family, he just cannot leave him. Stuck in their respective toxic relationship, Jonathan and Shane meet at a part of a common friend and clearly they have a connection. They decide to keep in touch and even go on a double date much to the dismay of their respective boyfriends. They then decide to meet just two of them talking about how they are stuck and had they not had boyfriends, they would be perfect for one another. Eventually Shane has had enough and decides to breakup with his boyfriend and that night when Jonathan wants to go pick up Shane, his boyfriend pushes him down the stairs which is like final nail in the straw. Jonathan and Shane start a new relationship after their break up but also keep wondering if they are moving too fast. They are both finally in a happy space, until a few months later, Shane's boyfriend Ethan comes back informing that he is HIV positive and guilt tripping Shane into taking care of him, which he does. But he still loves Jonathan who after continuing to secretly meet him, eventually give an ultimatum. Shane sees the point, breaks up and finally Shane and Jonathan are together leading to satisfying finale of Jonathan proposing to Shane.
As I mentioned, the show has a a decent storyline and fine performances, but it takes time to get into it. To be honest, in the first two episodes, I felt that this was a very amateurish attempt and had started to worry thatches was going to be a bad show, but it got me hooked beginning episode 3. The dialogues and interactions between characters were almost real with some scenes being over the top which is understandable. I also initially questioned why Shane and Jonathan would be with their partners when clearly the relationship is toxic, but you would be surprised to know that there are many people who are stuck in similar situations for multiple reasons and the makers do justify here as well. But it takes time and pushing people to their limits to get out of it. The whole thing of Ethan coming back with HIV and Shane being guilted back was a little unbelievable. I mean, someone smart like Shane who took a long time to get out of a relationship, it was odd to see him go right back into that mess fo Ron reason and leaving love of his life Jonathan behind. That part was hard to digest but I do appreciate the effort and the way the makers bring the couple back.
But despite th story and acting being good, the show just lacks the polish and finesse. The back ground music hardly exists and spoon feeding the audience timelines like even 2-3 minute was very annoying, like '5 minutes later' or '2 hours later' or '2 weeks later'. I mean there are better ways to show transition or show just a few times but this started to get on my nerves after every 5 minutes. Despite good acting, there was also a lack of chemistry between the leads and they felt more like theatre people. They definitely have the talent but somehow the direction of a pro is missing in the show. The story is realistic and something we don't get often to see so applause for the makers to try out something different for our community. A bit of polished production value, more chemistry and less amateurish would have taken this show to another level, (Something that THE OUTS show successfully did many years ago). (6/10)
Comments
I had the same feeling as you though, something is missing. I feel they were more talking their feelings than actually showing them, and sometimes it didn't match their actions (the way Shane treats poor Jonathan...). And the toxicity of the 2 ex is too much. Then the 2 good guys staying (and returning) doesn't really make sense and is unbelievable at times.
The transitions were odd but I kindda liked them, gave an unique taste.
Else it's lovely. The co-worker is hilarious and many dialogues were really funny and witty.
Like you I'm happy I could watch it in one go...