REVIEW: ‘Queens On The Run’ Runs Away With It

Starting off, I was not confident I’d be into the Jorge Macaya-directed and Martha Higareda-written Spanish-language Netflix Original road trip comedy Queens on the Run (Fuga de Reinas). It starts off with some of my usual turn-offs: annoying relationships and some culturally insensitive comedy. But as soon as the plot takes our four leading ladies away from any husbands they may have, and onto the open road, most of my reservations were left behind, and some unexpectedly strong comedy and action quickly followed.

This road trip movie might seem cliche on the surface. It’s four “older” best friends with a bucket list from a lifetime ago in way over their heads. Before hitting the road, there’s some personal exposition. We’ve got loveless marriages of all stripes, lives with no love at all, and plenty of jealousy over who does and doesn’t have kids at this point in their lives. It does feel a bit stale at first, only because it’s all pretty well-worn ground. But having four nearly equal protagonists ultimately lets Queens on the Run keep things on their toes.

And as the film rolls on, we’re never inundated with “not bad, for a woman of a certain age” jokes. Yes, the movie pushes the point that you can be fun, adventurous, flirty, and open-minded at whatever age, but it doesn’t hit you over the head with it. Instead, it just puts on a ridiculous show and lets it speak for itself.

And it’s completely ridiculous. The whole movie opens with a scene that will happen later on where the girls are chasing after a car on the highway in their red convertible, a gun in one hand, and an apparent kidnapping in progress. You later realize it’s only slightly less dramatic and severely more comedic than this. But the real opening salvo of the road trip bulk of the movie involves a stampede of chickens and culminates in impersonating strippers for justice. Its obligatory non-consensual drug scene irks me for certain, but the capers these characters get up to are increasingly absurd until it all comes to a head in a final legitimate action sequence that holds nothing back in either sexy costume design or impressive physicality across the board.

This movie even manages to make me not hate a cop character who shows up repeatedly at first for comedic effect but then to actually offer the movie’s only true on-screen romance. Where I normally am not all that interested in a lawman having to be a hero or a romantic interest, this guy is such a nice fellow who doesn’t wave any red flags and doesn’t have to be the women’s savior at any point. It’s a hugely appreciated point in a movie that already does a good job of letting its four female leads lead on their own without being turned aloof or incapable.

Queens on the Run is a fun ride that suffers from a rough start but really glides through some great escalatingly ridiculous comedy, delivers a strong action finish, and lets its “women of a certain age” choose their own distinct and worthy destinies by the end.

Queens on the Run is streaming now on Netflix.