Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (Lasse Hallström, 2011): UK

Reviewed by Sandra Andersson. Viewed at Santa Barbara Film Festival.

Salmon Fishing In The Yemen is not something that will amaze you or something that you won’t be able to get of you mind, but it’s a funny and interesting story that keeps you interested throughout the film. The film is based on Paul Tordays’ book with the same name, the screenplay is written by Simon Beaufoy and it is directed by Lasse Hallström(Chocolate, The Cider House Rules).

In the film we meet the fisheries expert Fred Jones(Ewan McGregor) who gets approached by Harriet Chetwode-Talbot(Emily Blunt) about an impossible project. Harriet is the consultant for a rich sheikh who wants to plant salmon in a river in Yemen and bring fly-fishing to the desert, the sheikhs idea is the beginning of a journey for the three of them towards making the impossible possible.

At a first glance at the films plot you might get the impression that this will be a straight on drama, nothing more. At least, this was what I thought before I saw the film but during the first scene when you get introduced to the two main characters and the “salmon to yemen” project you begin to smile, and you soon realize this is a romantic comedy with a dash of drama. The dialog is very smart and funny, when you least expect it McGregors character will say something that makes you laugh. Also in the film we get to experience quite funny chat conversations between Kristin Scott Thomas’ character  Bridget Maxwell and the prime minister, these recur a few times in the film and it’s a very clever way to feature their conversations, which most times are ridiculous.

The film plot is odd, the idea of moving 10 000 salmons from the UK to a river in Yemen that is almost dried out from time to time is just crazy. And to then introduce the sport of fly-fishing to the country? The thing that actually made this film work was the dialog and the chemistry between Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt, without their chemistry the film wouldn’t probably not have any charm at all. Their chemeistry, the jokes and the absolutely beautiful overview shots of nature is what makes the movie to what it is.

Salmon Fishing In The Yemen is a feel-good film, it’s not a film you need to rush to the theaters to see but if you one day need a feel-good film you should definitely go and see Salmon Fishing In The Yemen. Actually I would say that it’s worth to go and see it just to see Ewan McGregor on the big screen again, the world have been waiting to see you McGregor.