Director Adam Shankman describes his latest project, the R-rated comedy “Stop! That! Train!,” as a film that feels like a children’s movie, albeit one punctuated by adult humor and profanity. The production, which arrives in theaters this Friday, serves as a parody of the disaster genre, leaning heavily into slapstick, sight gags, and puns reminiscent of classic spoofs like “Airplane!” and “The Naked Gun.” Despite rumors regarding the use of artificial intelligence for special effects—claims Shankman has officially denied—the film remains a straightforward, camp-heavy production.
The narrative centers on two Stank Rail employees, Tess, played by Ginger Minj, and DeeDee, portrayed by Jujubee, who dream of traveling across the country. Their journey takes a chaotic turn when their train’s brakes fail during a massive “stormaganza.” Alongside the President of the United States, Judy Gagwell, played by RuPaul, the duo must attempt to save the day before their train crashes, an event that would threaten a nuclear power plant, a rescue dog facility, the home of actor Laurie Metcalf, and a group of Make-A-Wish children.
Filmed over a tight 19-day schedule, the 92-minute movie features a wide array of celebrity cameos, including Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nicole Richie, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, and Raven-Symoné. Shankman noted that he intentionally crafted the film to be politically neutral, focusing on pure, unapologetic ridiculousness. He expressed a desire to provide audiences with a 90-minute respite from the exhaustion and anger of the current cultural climate, allowing viewers to sit together and let the irony and stupidity of the film provide a brief escape.
The film arrives at a time when drag has become a significant cultural flashpoint. In recent years, political figures and legislative bodies in states like Texas and Tennessee have moved to restrict or ban public drag performances, often framing the art form as inherently degenerate. Shankman, however, chose to present his characters as people in a world where drag is simply a fact of life. The lead actors did not focus on gender during their preparation, instead treating their roles as straightforward character work. By showcasing the comedic talents of the performers rather than focusing solely on traditional lip-syncing, the film aims to challenge critics of the medium.
Drag historian Joe E. Jeffreys of New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts notes that while drag has been a part of film history since the early 1900s—citing Gilbert Sarony’s 1901 appearance in a Thomas Edison-distributed short—it is rarely used in mainstream cinema as a narrative tool where the audience is asked to accept the character’s gender without question. “Stop! That! Train!” joins a recent wave of entertainment that embraces absurdity, alongside projects like “Titanique,” “Oh, Mary!,” and the “Scary Movie” franchise, all of which seek to reclaim silliness as a valuable form of expression.
Jujubee believes the film’s accessibility will win over even those who might hold negative views toward drag. “I know that those people who ‘hate the idea of a drag queen’ will have a good time if they come and see it,” the actor said. “They’ll get it.” For Shankman, the film’s undercurrent of drag is integrated in a way that remains approachable for mainstream audiences, offering a lighthearted experience that he hopes will resonate with viewers looking for a distraction from the stresses of modern life. The report also notes that he never imagined he’d end up creating something so full of giddy joy and immature silliness that he would ultimately be left wondering just who his intended audience is, when Adam Shankman signed on to direct a spoof of a disaster movie starring a bunch of drag queens. The report also notes that “I made a kids movie, sort of,” Shankman said, “if it weren’t for the d**k jokes.”. The report also notes that there’s the occasional swear word, a shot of a puppet using drugs and repeated instances of naughty passengers and crew misbehaving as they veer toward a killer storm in a runaway train, in addition to a couple of gags about a train conductor’s genitals. The report also notes that and yet, amid a political environment that has sought in recent years to portray drag queens as degenerates out to offend any and all decent sensibilities, the most remarkable part of “Stop. The report also notes that and very few about gays and lesbians, there are no jokes about race or religion. The report also notes that (So far, the film’s biggest controversy has been speculation about whether it used artificial intelligence to generate special effects— accusations Shankman has denied.) “The movie is, from a humor standpoint, as politically free as you can be, and I did that intentionally,” said Shankman, who previously directed films like “Hairspray” (2007) and “A Walk to Remember” (2002).
