Judging by the title, Salmon
Fishing in the Yemen sounds about as exciting as a film called Paint Drying on the Wall. It's not
nearly that tedious, but the movie did surprise many by scoring a Golden Globe
nomination for Best Motion Picture in the Comedy or Musical category. Call it
this year's The Tourist in that
nobody saw it coming.
Salmon Fishing in the
Yemen is based on a novel by Paul Torday that served as political satire.
Screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, who also penned The
Full Monty, Slumdog Millionaire, and 127 Hours, turns the more of a story about the indomitable human spirit.
Director Lasse Hallstrom gives Salmon
Fishing a quaint romantic sheen that puts it in line with some of his
previous pictures like The Cider House
Rules and Chocolat.
The wealthy Sheikh Muhammed (Amr Waked) is a fly fishing
aficionado who desires to bring the joys of salmon to the Yemeni desert. The
Sheikh's financial advisor Harriet Chetwode-Talbot (Emily Blunt) consults with
fisheries expert Dr. Alfred Jones (Ewan McGregor), who dismisses the idea as
wholly unfeasible. However, the Prime Minister's Press Secretary, Patricia
Maxwell (Kristin Scott Thomas), sees the project as a feel-good story to divert
the public's attention from the constant stories of war and violence from the
Middle East. Dr. Jones reluctantly acquiesces and soon discovers the Sheikh
isn't the frivolous one-percenter he assumed.
Salmon Fishing
works best when it focuses on the central story and the budding relationship between
the leads. It's refreshing to see McGregor use his natural Scottish accent in
his portrayal of an uptight scientist in the vein of Cary Grant in Bringing Up Baby. 2012 was a banner year
for Emily Blunt and although this was one of her lesser works (she was better
in Looper and Your Sister's Sister), she's wonderful here. Kristin Scott Thomas
is terrific as the forceful Patricia Maxwell, one of the few holdovers from the
novel's original satirical bent though the character was male in the book. Thomas
plays like she just sprung from the mind of Armando Ianucci. Amr Waked, who
bares a strong resemblance to a young Ben Kingsley, serves as the heart of the
movie and it's always nice to see a Middle Eastern actor play somebody other
than a terrorist.
Unfortunately, Beaufoy overstuffs the script with too many
subplots that complicate what should have been a simple romance. Jones is in a
loveless marriage with a workaholic who is almost never home while Harriet has
a boyfriend who is deployed in Afghanistan. The Sheikh's project is threatened
by fanatical fundamentalists, which is at odds with the film's lightweight
tone. What's more interesting is the finagling done to realize the Sheikh's
wild dream. The engineers behind the Three Gorges Dam are called in to help
design the dam and irrigation system. 10,000 salmon are needed to populate the
newly created river, but depleting England's stock upsets the fishing industry.
Thus, farmed salmon are used without knowing whether they will swim upstream
like their brethren.
Salmon Fishing in the
Yemen is the sort of safe and conservative arthouse fare that old folks
enjoy. It's a pleasant, but listless experience that could have used a more
whimsical and energetic touch.
Rating: ** (*****)
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