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Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
This is Ira Glass. On This American Life, one thing we like is a good mystery. Sometimes about really big things, but most times, the little mysteries are the best. Our lost and found is currently filled with pants. I don't know what, I've never seen this happen.
Wait, this is true?
This is true. Mysteries of every size, each week. This American Life, wherever you get your podcasts.
Stop that train is what you get if you took the gags, a minute silliness of airplane, crossed it with a lighthearted friendship of Barb and Star, and then filtered it through the body lens of RuPaul's Drag Race. In case it's not clear, this is a good thing.
It stars mother herself, RuPaul Charles, as the president of the United States, because of course it does. Along for the ridiculous ride on this runaway train is a cavalcade of drag race alumni and comedy heavy hitters who are all here to serve looks and bring the shade. I'm Glenn Weldon.
And I'm Aisha Harris, and today we're talking about Stop That Train on Pop Culture Happy Hour from NPR.
You know, every day on Up First, NPR's Golden Globe-nominated morning news podcast, we bring you three essential stories. At the heart of each story are questions. What really happened? What really mattered? What happens next? At NPR, we stand for your right to be curious and to follow the facts. Follow Up First wherever you get your podcasts and start your day knowing what matters and why.
Joining us today on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour is entertainment host, culture commentator, and co-host of High Key, Ryan Mitchell. Welcome back, Ryan. Happy Pride, everybody. Happy Pride. And happy Stop That Train. The only reason I'm saying this is because every word comes with an exclamation point.
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Chapter 2: What is the premise of the film 'Stop! That! Train!'?
No jury in the world will convict you.
And to be honest, RuPaul would actually want you to say it like that. Absolutely. So I think you're doing a great service. Thank you.
I'm just trying to serve Mother, as they say. So Stop That Train stars drag queens Gigi B and Ginger Minj as train attendants Dee Dee and Tess.
I'm Tess. One time I ate a magnet and got stuck to a flagpole. Dee Dee, I was born with adult teeth.
Yes. They find themselves unemployed after the budget train line stank rail. goes out of business, and then they quickly land a new gig aboard the Glamazonian Express, a luxury high-speed railway. But a massive stormaganza threatens to make their first trip a bumpy ride. Enter President Gagwell, played by RuPaul, and traffic controller Donna Dusk, played by Rachel Bloom.
They step in to help keep this train on its tracks and out of harm's way. Stop That Train is in theaters now. Ryan, tell it to me straight. How do we feel about Stop That Dream?
I'm going to tell it to you, Gay. Yes! Thank you. No, I absolutely loved this movie. I was not sure what I was going to get, to be quite honest. I was like, one, I'm shocked that this film is going to theaters. I thought it automatically in my brain was like, wait, it's going to go to a streamer or it's going to be on the World of Wonder app and everyone can kind of take it there.
But to know that they sort of got this moment to have...
in theaters at this huge large stage i'm like oh this is going to be something major and the cast is stacked but ultimately i do love it but it also feels like okay if you are a fan of rupaul's drag race honey you are watching a rusical in a rupaul's drag race challenge lock in because it's about to be a wild yes yes okay i love it lock in buckle up fashion your seatbelts all that stuff glenn tell it to me however you want to straight gay whichever way you want how do we feel
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Chapter 3: Who are the main characters and cast members in 'Stop! That! Train!'?
very much enjoyed The Bitch Who Stole Christmas, which also stars RuPaul. So I'm like a RuPaul fan, just not within the context of drag race. I know that sounds strange, but that's where we are. And I very much enjoyed this movie. Like you said, Glenn gets like airplane, but with just like a distinctly queer sensibility. And I loved so many things about it.
I love the many recurring gags, the many faces that we see. Sarah Michelle Gellar pops up here doing a fun bit. We got some great songs. We've got Rachel Bloom. Rachel Bloom. I love Rachel Bloom so much. She is kind of for me. And of course, she's like the straight person in this movie. But like, she really is for me kind of the
The surprise, I was surprised at how much I enjoyed her, not because I haven't enjoyed her in the past, but I was just like, oh, they're really giving Rachel Bloom a lot to do here. And she can play with it. She can play against all these characters. Her and RuPaul have great chemistry. She's just a delight. So I loved this.
But I also feel like the problem, and I think, Glenn, you put this really, really well and you articulated it well, but I always come up against this issue when talking about spoof movies because it's like, how do you talk about this? Like, it's just gags, you know? And on top of that, it's like, it depends on what your humor is and how you respond to that.
Ryan, I'm curious, like, outside of the RuPaul world, are you a spoof person? Do you enjoy spoof movies or like, What about this made you excited about it besides the drag race aspect of it, if anything?
Yeah, I mean, when I think of spoof movies, I think of movies like Scary Movie, you know? And I love some of the earlier ones, but if we're talking about the newest one, please throw it away, and it just doesn't work. But because this is rooted like specifically in queer culture and there's this like, oh my God, I've had these either conversations or made these jokes or have seen this.
It just feels like home. It felt like I was literally hanging out with friends and we were all sort of like having the same joke. I think that is what really makes it work here because here's the thing. If you are really not
someone that is necessarily a drag race fan, or if you don't really have queer friends, or you're in queer community, this may be like, what is this sort of deviance movie that is full of RuPaul literally running over a toddler in a train? You know what I mean? There's some things that you just won't understand because you're too serious.
And I think queer culture allows you to sort of laugh at the things that you've sort of been made fun of for so long. And I think for a spoof movie, this is actually quite perfect. And I think it's why the show RuPaul's Drag Race has worked for so long because it embraces stupidity. And for me, when it's done really well, it just works.
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Chapter 4: How does 'Stop! That! Train!' compare to other spoof films?
It's not even out yet. You know, it will be out by the time this is aired, but it's going to be really interesting with the juxtaposition of just people's sort of exhaustion overall with the show. Yeah. If I'm being quite honest. Okay.
Yeah. Well, I do also want to talk a little bit or ask you all about like the look of this, because the look also feels kind of. Much of the special effects to me kind of felt rendered as though it was like Windows 95, but on purpose. What do we make of the way this movie looks? There's this whole discourse that's unfolded online about AI and this movie.
And the distributor confirmed there's a mix of CGI effects with some shots enhanced by AI. And it doesn't look like... This is not what I would say is like mainstream broad appeal. This is like lo-fi, kind of tacky, but deliberately so. Ryan, I'm curious. You're nodding.
Yeah. No, because I completely agree, actually. Like, I was sort of happy I didn't see this in a theater because it was meant perfectly for a screener link. I felt that because there is so much conversation around possibilities of usage of AI in this film...
Of course, like the team speaking out against that, it's just so interesting to me around like, oh, RuPaul's Drag Race is such a place that's supposed to be all about like authenticity and like, you know, protecting queer art. It just gives me like the ick when I do know and see something like this, especially when you get your big break of being in a theater that you're sort of cutting out.
you're cutting corners. And it feels that way. There is a way where, yes, there could have been different decisions being made, in my opinion, over this. Yeah.
Yeah. At the end of the day, I'm old enough, I don't know the difference between CGI and AI, really. I mean, I'm used to thinking that CGI looks muddy and AI slop looks too clean, too bright, too sharp. And this errs on my humble estimation in the latter category there. But You know, at the end of the day, it's exactly your point, Aisha. It looks tacky. It looks cheap.
It looks low rent, which is should. That's the vibe. That's the aesthetic that they're going for here. It doesn't look cheap and shoddy like it would in 1975 if they made this, you know, using practical sets and practical effects. But it looks cheap by today's standards. And I don't know. I kind of serve the whole, hey, queens, let's put on a show vibe for me.
Do you think they were actually intentional about it looking cheap and tacky? I kind of think so. How could they not be, right? That's what I'm saying, though. I genuinely feel like it's intentional for them to be like, oh, this is what this world looks like at such a high-gloss angle of what this film could look like, but... I don't know. I think they actually do think it looks really good.
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