What It’s About: A charming offbeat romantic dramedy for grown-ups, “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” is literally a fish-out-of-water story. Based on Paul Torday’s novel about a sheik who dreams big and all the people either attracted to his vision of enriching his country or staunchly opposed, with skeptics and British bureaucrats the target of its gentle humor. The government decides a positive story on Anglo-Arab relations is just the ticket to further political life, thus creating a media circus as well.
The film, helmed by Lasse Hallstrom (“Chocolat”) and adapted by Simon Beaufoy (“Slumdog Millionaire,” “The Full Monty”), is aided considerably by its captivating couple (Emily Blunt, Ewan McGregor) on point as the project co-workers thrown together by fate.
Performances: Blunt and McGregor are always good, and in “Salmon Fishing” they get to play shy professionals, which are not the customary leads in romance films. The relationship develops in a sweet, non-harried way, despite complications that are best left unsaid, and that’s refreshing. They’re just adorable together.
He’s more stiff British stuffed-shirt as fisheries expert Alfred Jones and she’s a proper liaison for the sheik’s business interests as Harriet Chetwode-Talbot. As the no-nonsense British government spin doctor Patricia Maxwell, Kristin Scott Thomas is over-the-top and fun to watch. She breezes in, a tough-talking whirlwind at every encounter. Egyptian actor Amr Waked is striking as the sheik with a passion for fly fishing.
What works: Thankfully they did not dumb this tale down, so the intelligence and wit prevail. It’s not slick in the least, so that means it’s a little jagged and meandering. But I’ll take that over cardboard cut-out characters and cookie-cutter scripts. You never quite know where it’s going, and its unpredictability is another reason to cheer. Sure, creating a river in a desert is implausible, especially stocking it with 10,000 North Atlantic salmon, but hey, take the plunge and believe.
What doesn’t work: Seriously, would Blunt’s character not be covered up in some deference to Arab world customs? She’s bopping around Yemen in modern garb. Just a little jarring. A few little reality-checks here and there, but a movie that believes good can prevail in war-torn worlds needs our support!
MOVIE INFO
Stars: Three
Starring: Emily Blunt, Ewan McGregor, Kristin Scott Thomas, Amr Waked
Director: Lasse Hallstrom
Rated: PG-13 for some violence, sexual content and brief language
Length: 1:51
Originally published in the Belleville News-Democrat in March 2012
Venhaus Creative 