The Shiny Shrimps

Although I do not belong to any of the two next categories, I think this film can please both gays (well, for obvious reasons) and homophobic people (let's say it's ultra cliche). Be prepared for an encounter of the third kind with the complete YMCA (Village People, 1978) and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (Stephan Elliott, 1994) ... in swimming suit! This is clearly not a masterpiece and the script is predictable, but the actors are really endearing and the film is full of wacky and hilarious replies, even if the jokes are not always very subtle, far from Oscar Wilde's comedies as an example. In this regard, although the film is categorized 'all public', I will not necessarily suggest you to see this movie with your 7-year-old niece, if any. In short: I liked this nice teamwork!

Enjoyed shiny shrimps Loved Joel (the aging activist) Some moments felt a little cliched but it's based on a true story which I love (dark horse doc being a huge fav of mine) and the balance of characters - Cedric the dad another fav - makes the film Well worth a watch

Not the most innovative movie. But it works fine. Quite fun, feel-good, cool music, some very good moments, and some that pulls down. What draws down is that it is quite cliché filled with how we gays should look and behave. Most of the characters fill these perceptions of gays, but I shouldn't grumble about that. If you liked The Birdcage and In & Out, you'll probably like this one too.

Sports movies are about overcoming obstacles and finding strength in a team. This movie is no exception. The difference is that, this time, the team is going to the Gay Games, an international competition that celebrate LGBT people through sports. And they're being trained by an outsider : a swimmer who called a journalist a homophobic slur and has to make amends. Being an LGBT movie at the same time as a sports movie makes it possible to join two concepts from these two genres : the sports team, and the LGBT « found family ». The character of the trainer is then put as a contrast, as he becomes part of the team against his will, but does it for his own personal motives, not for the team members. Of course, he is a complex character who is also given the opportunity to evolve through the course of the movie. The obstacles that the team and its members have to face are varied, and all seen through a LGBT lens, although they avoid being reductible to « LGBT problems ». This allows the characters to be multi-dimensional : being gay (or trans in the case of one character) is a big part of their identity and of the movie (and of course they unfortunately have to deal with homophobia and transphobia), but it isn't their only defining characteristic, and they all live their gay-ness differently anyway. I don't want to say too much about the characters' issues because getting to know them is part of the journey. Some parts of the movie are a bit cliché, or, better said, predictable, but I doesn't take away the emotional core of the movie, which is, I think, above all about the ability of accepting yourself (even in the face of intolerance) and the importance of support among friends. I must say that, at the beginning of the movie, I was a bit disconcerted by some (not all) of the performances, which I found a little flat. However, this problem didn't last and I became entirely caught in the story. The last scene made me very emotional ; emotions which were only accentuated by the perfect music choice for the credits (Kid, by Eddy de Pretto, always makes me emotional). Even with the inherent sadness from a movie that deals with homophobia, illness and heartbreak, it still is a « feel-good » movie that makes you feel like you can be brave and live your dreams I very much recommend it.

Funny, emotional and happy! The kind of movies we all need right now