Pitchforks: 3.5/5
Rated: PG-13
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt
Release date: March 23, 2012
Not many hands would go up if asked who wants to watch a film about salmon fishing, in the Yemen, no less. The feelings were mutual, friends, but with a highly unexpected surprise, “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” was admittedly quite enjoyable.
Throw in some British accents, deadpan humor, a wise, all-knowing sheikh and voilà - a culture-clashing slapstick. Another bomb just went off in the Middle East, and while the war in Afghanistan steadily worsens, domineering public relations coordinator to the prime minister, Patricia Maxwell (Kristin Scott Thomas), takes wind of the sheikh’s idea of introducing the sport of fly fishing to his native land.
Maxwell quickly turns the salmon project into a “priority project” upon realizing that this is the timely moment for a photo opportunity to improve Anglo-Arab relations in the middle of a war. British fisheries specialist Dr. Alfred Jones (Ewan McGregor) is forced to head this project that entails exporting an astronomical amount of salmon from British waters to a desert in the Middle East.
Seemingly impossible at its surface, Alfred is immediately against the operation from day one. The resources are unavailable, the outcome is unlikely and the concept is foolish. As much as the odds are against a successful turnout for the project, Jones is given an ultimatum and reluctantly moves forward with the project, which he initially describes as “a bloody joke.”
His business associate and consultant to the sheikh, Harriet Chetwode-Talbot (Emily Blunt), is forced to deal with Jones’s constant whining and resistance to the project. Harriet and Alfred gradually spend more and more time together as they both grow to learn the underlying importance of the salmon project for the sheikh.
In the midst of it all, Harriet’s boyfriend, Capt. Robert Mayers (Tom Mison), is called off to active duty overseas. He is soon deemed M.I.A. in the events of a recent military operation. The notion that Harriet was only involved with this Capt. Mayers for a mere three weeks dramatically reduces the likelihood of her overwhelming sorrow as portrayed in the movie.
Not to digress, but a solid six-plus months might have been more believable. Harriet and Alfred soon begin to bond in the unexpected chain of events thereafter.
In “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen,” McGregor is a witty and zealous businessman looking for the missing answers in his life and the salmon project just might be the key to what he has been looking for. McGregor has also appeared in several films such as 2001’s “Moulin Rouge!” and 2009’s “The Men Who Stare at Goats.” It is in these roles where he, too, unveils a strong sense of leadership and charisma with just enough of a nonchalant demeanor to balance out the role.
Particularly amusing was the ongoing banter between the prime minister and Maxwell via instant messaging. The dialogue was well worth the close-up screen shots.
Emily Blunt, better known as Emily, the feisty, stuck-up assistant to the editor-in-chief in “The Devil Wears Prada,” has the same tough-girl attitude but with a much softer side. She is witty, caring and passionate.
“Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” also stems from the screenwriter of “Slumdog Millionaire,” Simon Beaufoy. Just as “Slumdog” was the underdog when it first hit the big screen, so too is “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.”
The feel-good movie is loaded with humor to liven up the plot. Take a break from the usual Netflix and Hulu session and give this movie a shot. It is definitely a worthwhile use of time and money.
Reach the reporter at cstarboa@asu.edu Follow us on Twitter or like us on Facebook. Click here to subscribe to the daily State Press email newsletter.
