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...
This movie is supposed to be a psychological horror about a girl who becomes totally obsessed with a gay guy and won't leave him alone. It starts off feeling like a quiet drama about a guy dealing with grief, but it eventually tries to turn into this claustrophobic look at how trauma and proximity can get dangerous. Unfortunately, it was just way too boring to actually sit through. Even though the acting wasn't terrible, there was zero thrill or tension, and I found myself yawning through most of it.
The story follows Rowan, a barista and aspiring musician who’s trying to pick up the pieces after his fiancé, Tucker, passed away. Out of nowhere, an old high school classmate named Mag shows up wanting to reconnect. They dated briefly back in the day, but now she basically forces her way into renting the spare bedroom in his apartment. Once she moves in, she starts taking over his entire life, though Rowan is weirdly blind to how creepy and intrusive she’s being. She calls herself a "fag hag" and treats him more like an accessory than a person, slowly pushing her way into his job and his friend group. When Rowan’s best friend, K.C. (who he calls his "twin"), comes to visit for a week, Mag loses it because she hates him having other friends. She also gets super jealous when a hot gym trainer starts showing an interest in Rowan and does everything she can to keep them apart. After a few more random killings, it’s finally revealed that she was the one who murdered Rowan’s fiancé in the first place.
Honestly, you’d expect this to have that cheesy "made-for-TV" movie vibe, but it just didn't work at all. The actors were clearly trying, but the whole concept and execution just fell flat. The pacing is all over the place, the tone shifts way too fast, and the scenes that are supposed to feel scary or intense just feel half-baked. It makes no sense how Rowan could be so naive and just go along with everything this girl says without seeing how much of a creep she is. The lead actress does an okay job and the guy playing Rowan is good-looking, but that’s really the only praise I can give it. All the side plots, like the stuff with his coworker or the sleazy music producer, felt totally unnecessary and didn't add anything to the story.
It’s an interesting idea on paper, but it plays out like a clunky stage play put on by beginners rather than a real thriller. (2.5/10)
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