Stop! That! Train!

It plays better than it reviews — the watch lands harder than the write-ups suggest.

• “With the same kind of sweetness and heightened stylization that he brought to “Hairspray,” the director Adam Shankman balances jokes for an in-crowd with the pleasures of spoofs like “Airplane!” and “Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar,” plus the appeal of seeing Joel McHale in a harness (one of the better star cameos, which also include Sarah Michelle Gellar and Charo).”

  Chris Azzopardi, The New York Times · 90

• “The heart of this action-comedy that’s really a high-concept girlfriend movie is Ginger Minj and Jujubee, their characterizations in perfect sync, their rapport endearing and their triumph-of-the-underdog arc something worth rooting for.”

  David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter · 80

• “Ladykins, Stop! That! Train! is a winner. Perhaps that’s unsurprising seeing as many recent Drag Race challenges have felt like mini movie sets themselves, with elaborate scripts and costumes. And while recent gay movies like Pillion and Blue Film have focused on uncomfortable home truths about queer life, Stop! That! Train! offers refreshingly rosy escapism. See it with as rowdy – and gay – an audience as possible.”

  Owen Myers, The Guardian · 80

• “Stop! That! Train! is exactly the pick-me-up we need. RuPaul for President!”

  Larushka Ivan-Zadeh, Time Out · 80

• “Stop! That! Train! handles the dumbest things with just the right amount of seriousness, and it’s more than self-aware of its own silliness.”

  Kyle Turner, Slant Magazine · 75