The Shiny Shrimps

A huge hit in its native France, this comedy blend of Swimming with Men and The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert boasts tremendous warmth as it takes a hilarious road trip through the hotbed of LGBTQ+ politics. An Olympic champion swimmer (Nicolas Gob) makes a homophobic statement on TV and is ordered to coach an amateur gay waterpolo team for the Gay Games in Croatia. But the "Shiny Shrimps" seem more enamoured of after-practice partying than improving their sporting chances as they travel from Paris on board an open-top bus, Summer Holiday-style. Predictable though it may be, this exuberantly feel-good charmer from co-directors/writers Maxime Govare and Cédric Le Gallo is a non-stop blast of wild campery, from its changing-room banter to its impromptu singalong to Sabrina's disco hit Boys. It's not all blatantly fluffy fun: sobering issues are effectively raised and a powerfully affecting funeral brings the rainbow raunch to a touching close.