REVIEW: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

 There are no spoilers in this review.

PLOT: A fisheries expert is approached by a consultant to help realize a sheikh's vision of bringing salmon to the desert and embarks on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible possible.


THE GOOD: Acting. Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt star in Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. McGregor has always been very talented. I don't think he needed to reach too far in this role where he gets to use his Scottish accent. His character is written with so much humor in his seriousness. Emily Blunt, who I loved in The Devil Wears Prada, does some good work here, although nothing to really earn her any awards. Kristin Scott Thomas seems to outshine the rest in her supporting role as the Prime Minister's Press Secretary. You will laugh in every scene she's in. Amr Waked plays the sheikh who wants to bring the salmon to the Yemen. His acting is very appropriate for his character.

Screenplay. The screenplay is written by Academy Award-winner Simon Beaufoy. He's brought us such gems as The Full Monty, Slumdog Millionaire, and 127 Hours. It's Beaufoy's dialogue that really does it for me. I know most people are going to think that Thomas' character got the best lines, but I really enjoyed the natural words and reactions of McGregor's character. There was just something so charming and delightfully British about it.

SHEIKH MUHAMMED: "Dubai has indoor skiing, Formula 1 racetracks, and the tallest building in the world. Yemen will have salmon."

Lasse Hallström. Looking back at Lasse Hallström's filmography, he's made some really great films. The Cider House Rules, Chocolat, and one of my favorites, What's Eating Gilbert Grape. Hallström has a great story-telling ability. He is able to make an otherwise mediocre tale into something that captures you.

Message. The subject of faith and science is briefly explored in this film. It's nice to see it slide closer towards one end of the spectrum.


THE BAD: Relationships. Highlight to read spoilers: The chemistry between McGregor and Blunt is good, but not perfect. His love for her seems to grow a little too quickly for me. That, and the 12 year age difference between the actors really put me off. But that was something I was easily able to look past because I was still hoping they'd be together in the end. My problem with the film came in the middle when McGregor's character admits to his wife that he is in love with Blunt's character. Despite obviously being in a very loveless marriage and McGregor's character briefly mentioning something about getting married young, their separation was very hard for me to believe. The movie tries to paint Mary as a cold uncaring wife, but I think Alfred was just as guilty as she was. Then there's Blunt's character who has a missing boyfriend in the military who she has only known for three weeks. Granted, you can certainly fall in love with someone in that amount of time, but their relationship is not explored long enough to believe this is the fact here. I probably would have been more comfortable with a Lost in Translation-type of relationship between the two leads.

EWAN MCGREGOR: "You see that big blob waaaaay out beyond that canyon out there. That's Michael Moore."

THE END: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is a cute romantic film that I enjoyed. I question the challenges of the main characters pairing, but the dialogue, the acting, and the gorgeous location really make up for it. I am tempted to call this a great date film, but would throw caution about the aforementioned challenges. This is a small film that will see a semi-wide release throughout the month. I don't think it'll win any awards, but it's worth checking out. Perhaps rent this one.


DISCUSS: What did you think of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen? What did you think of the chemistry between Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt? What did you dislike about the film? What is your view on the relationships in this movie?

EWAN MCGREGOR: "Oh yeah, I've played Draw Something before. It's called Pictionary!!"