Director: Adam Shankman

Stars: Ginger Minj, Jujubee, Brooke Lynn Hytes, Rachel Bloom, Brock Hayhoe, Paul Scheer, Symone

Reportedly shot in seventeen days and featuring drag queens from ‘RuPaul’s Drag Race’ as its main players, this is a cheap and cheerfully naff comedy disaster picture. Best friends and train stewardesses Tess (Minj) and DeeDee (Jujubee) find themselves out of a job when their low budget train line Stank Rail goes out of business. On the advice of a wily colleague who has already jumped ship, they sneak on to the luxurious Glamazonian Express disguised as stewardesses. The duo are immediately pounced upon and bullied by the statuesque glamorous stewardess Amber (Hytes) and her minions. Also encountering difficulties with colleagues is the bullied United States Train Command Centre employee Donna Dusk (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’s Rachel Bloom) who discovers that the express is headed for a ‘Stormganza’ hurricane. When the storm hits, the train’s brakes are disabled and the crew discover to their horror that it is heading to a nuclear site situated between a home for abandoned dogs and the house of actress Laurie Metcalf. Informed of the incident, President Judy Gagwell (Ru-Paul) sees a chance to improve her poor ratings. Meanwhile, Tess and Dee-Dee’s friendship is tested as they try to remedy the situation. The synopsis should give an indication of the level of humour here, while the shadow of far superior comedy disaster pics such as ‘Airplane’ and ‘The Big Bus’ hangs heavy over proceedings. It is played with a subtlety-free gusto though by its drag queen leads with the makers wisely surrounding them with comedy old hands such as Bloom, Chris Parnell and June Diane Raphael. Sarah Michelle Gellar is game playing herself as she tries to nudge the other passengers into remembering who she is. A few of the jokes fall flat but the runaway train momentum of the script means that another one is following right along. Bloom gets the best laugh with a gag about practical lesbians versus less able queer men.

David Willoughby

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