Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
(B- or 2.5/4 stars)
And in the running for craziest movie title of the year, we have ... 'Salmon Fishing in the Yemen' (directed by Lasse Hallstrom, The Cider House Rules, Chocolat). But don't be dissuaded by the wackadoodle title, the movie is absolutely fine. Ewan McGregor & Emily Blunt are our 2 leads. McGregor plays Dr. Fred Jones, a timid Englishman and fisheries expert whose marriage has grown stale (to say the least). Blunt plays Harriet Chetwode-Talbot, the pretty British representative of a wealthy & visionary sheik (Amr Waked), and the recent lover of a British soldier (Tom Mison) who has been woefully declared MIA in Afghanistan.
In addition to these two, we have Kristin Scott Thomas; who plays Bridget Maxwell, the Prime Minister's overzealous press secretary, who sees public relations implications everywhere; including this 'goodwill' story of the salmon fishing ("Prime Minister, you fish, don't you!?"). Fred & Harriet are paired-up when they are recruited to work on the sheik's dream project of bringing the peaceful activity of fly-fishing to his country of Yemen. Fred, a man who lacks faith, and who admitted that it's 'theoretically' possible for salmon to exist in Yemen, thinks that the project is absurd & nearly unachievable. Nevertheless - as a man of science - he is interested & accepts project management for the 50 million lb. endeavor. Along the way, of course, Fred & Harriet fall for each other ... but their relationship is complicated by a host of issues. Melodrama ensues as each character embarks on a real journey of faith to prove that anything is possible.
The movie's main relationship btwn. the quiet, awkward Fred & the spunky Harriet is the big selling point. The 2 actors engage in sweet banter early on before their affection for one another becomes more serious. I like how their old-fashioned, slow burn romance unfolded. An added bonus in watching the film is Kristin Scott Thomas, who is quite funny as the PM's press secretary who is ruthless at getting the hottest public relations stories possible. Thanks to her character, there is a mildly interesting subtext for satire about political bureaucracy & how Western capitalism is at war with Muslim culture. There are, of course, plenty of details about salmon, Yemen, & the sheik's lofty dream. And we're given just enough information about all of that without having to nod off from boredom {haha}.
But this film is far from perfect. There are a couple of strange subplots (one concentrating on the fate of Harriet's MIA lover, & one that focuses on some Muslim extremists who have it out for the sheik). This movie just didn't need them. I would have preferred focus to be on the 3 main characters, the tender romance, & the funny satire. Also, director Lasse Hallstrom is known for making sentimental films. That's fine; because he cuts out the melodrama that is usually tied-in with that. But after a fun 1st half of the film; full of eccentricities, wit, & playfulness (again, thanks mostly to KS Thomas' devilish turn), the tone of the movie becomes a tad solemn, nicey-nice, & mushy. Everything ends how you'd hope it to end. But I was slightly let down with the sappy process by which we got to that end.
Pleasant. That's the best word I can use to describe 'Salmon Fishing in the Yemen'. That's neither an endorsement nor a deterrence. But I wanted a little more. I mean, I like that a major theme in this film is about people opening themselves us to faith. The love story (sans any intimacy) is nicely crafted. The locales (breathtaking Scotland & Yemen) are awe-worthy. And as mentioned - all ends well. The movie just needed an extra punch somewhere in the middle to carry-on it on through. And again, our patience is finally rewarded with the outcome we want but, perhaps, not in the manner we expected. And that's just a tad disappointing.
In addition to these two, we have Kristin Scott Thomas; who plays Bridget Maxwell, the Prime Minister's overzealous press secretary, who sees public relations implications everywhere; including this 'goodwill' story of the salmon fishing ("Prime Minister, you fish, don't you!?"). Fred & Harriet are paired-up when they are recruited to work on the sheik's dream project of bringing the peaceful activity of fly-fishing to his country of Yemen. Fred, a man who lacks faith, and who admitted that it's 'theoretically' possible for salmon to exist in Yemen, thinks that the project is absurd & nearly unachievable. Nevertheless - as a man of science - he is interested & accepts project management for the 50 million lb. endeavor. Along the way, of course, Fred & Harriet fall for each other ... but their relationship is complicated by a host of issues. Melodrama ensues as each character embarks on a real journey of faith to prove that anything is possible.
The movie's main relationship btwn. the quiet, awkward Fred & the spunky Harriet is the big selling point. The 2 actors engage in sweet banter early on before their affection for one another becomes more serious. I like how their old-fashioned, slow burn romance unfolded. An added bonus in watching the film is Kristin Scott Thomas, who is quite funny as the PM's press secretary who is ruthless at getting the hottest public relations stories possible. Thanks to her character, there is a mildly interesting subtext for satire about political bureaucracy & how Western capitalism is at war with Muslim culture. There are, of course, plenty of details about salmon, Yemen, & the sheik's lofty dream. And we're given just enough information about all of that without having to nod off from boredom {haha}.
But this film is far from perfect. There are a couple of strange subplots (one concentrating on the fate of Harriet's MIA lover, & one that focuses on some Muslim extremists who have it out for the sheik). This movie just didn't need them. I would have preferred focus to be on the 3 main characters, the tender romance, & the funny satire. Also, director Lasse Hallstrom is known for making sentimental films. That's fine; because he cuts out the melodrama that is usually tied-in with that. But after a fun 1st half of the film; full of eccentricities, wit, & playfulness (again, thanks mostly to KS Thomas' devilish turn), the tone of the movie becomes a tad solemn, nicey-nice, & mushy. Everything ends how you'd hope it to end. But I was slightly let down with the sappy process by which we got to that end.
Pleasant. That's the best word I can use to describe 'Salmon Fishing in the Yemen'. That's neither an endorsement nor a deterrence. But I wanted a little more. I mean, I like that a major theme in this film is about people opening themselves us to faith. The love story (sans any intimacy) is nicely crafted. The locales (breathtaking Scotland & Yemen) are awe-worthy. And as mentioned - all ends well. The movie just needed an extra punch somewhere in the middle to carry-on it on through. And again, our patience is finally rewarded with the outcome we want but, perhaps, not in the manner we expected. And that's just a tad disappointing.