Review of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2012) by Stevenf — 21 Jun 2013

A film that is and does exactly what it says on the tin, salmon fishing is indeed "theoretically possible" in the Yemen. A witty and culturally cumulative effort from Chocolat director Lasse Hallström has made this quite an enjoyable flick that it quite easy to like, save for its flaws and high note drama.

Ewan McGregor plays Fred Jones, a fishery expert who is tasked with the damned near impossible, to somehow create a lake and transport ten thousand salmon to Yemen for a fly fishing hobbyist Sheik (Amr Waked).

In the middle, and the basis of a blossoming relationship is Harriet, played by the talented Emily Blunt, who is financial advisor to the gentle hearted Sheik, a man who you just perceive to have a bigger wallet than brain, but so much more is at stake in his eyes, with a deeper meaning of the cultural significance of taking ten thousand Scottish fish and sticking them in the desert, but with a political agenda, especially when Government PR guru Patricia Maxwell (Kristin Scott Thomas) digs her claws in, and what a performance from this woman indeed, being the backbone for much of the comedy in the film.

McGregor plays the awkward and often stuck in his ways Fred, while the Sheik calmly tries to pull him into the brighter horizon, he also tries to open his eyes to faith and believing in the almost impossible.

The film its happy notes consecutively, reaching into your mind and conjuring happy feelings of exploration and not settling of the ordinary. The relationship between Fred and Harriet can feel a little glossed over and too quick to suit the needs of the film, especially with her dilemma of being unsure if her soldier boyfriend has been killed on a mission in Afghanistan. The wondrous and most fulfilling part of the film is perhaps the attitude of Sheik Muhammad, his analogies concerning faith and fishing are well written, as his much of the dialogue of the film with quirky and big-headed characters who often have ego clashes, much of this coming from Scott Thomas, who excels in her hysterical role, her brushed off insults and lack of cultural regard are genius, especially when she controls the screen in each of her scenes, with relative ease.

The visuals are excellent, but thankfully these have been outdone by an excellent cast and a powerful script that never lets itself get too serious, because obviously with a far-fetched plot as the title suggests, its nice to see someone being up to the challenge of putting more in the film than originally meets the eye.