Review No.123: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

After I started the week with Hunky Dory it seems to be a continuing theme of gentle films as next up is the romcom come political satire Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. The film is based on a popular novel by Paul Torday and stars Ewan McGregor as Fred Jones the government's salmon fishing expert who is asked by Emily Blunt's Harriet Chetwode-Talbot to help introduce some of his favourite fish into the waters of the Yemen so that the sheikh she represents can fish for them. The tightly-wound Fred blasts the idea believing salmon wouldn't thrive in the warm waters of the Yemen however when the Prime Minister's press secretary Patricia Maxwell, played by the brilliant Kristen Scott Thomas, picks up on the project she wants it to go ahead in order to promote Anglo-Arab relations. After meeting Sheikh Muhammed, Fred's opinions change meanwhile he gets closer to Harriet whose boyfriend Robert is lost in action in Afghanistan while his own relationship with his wife Mary is fractured after she goes on business in Geneva. The Yemen project faces its share of problems namely getting salmon from British waters and transporting them out of the country as well as militants against the Sheik trying to sabotage the endeavour. Overall though the project brings the best out in everyone with Fred loosening up, Harriet forgetting about Robert and Patricia able to get her picture perfect moment.

Though I've never read the book that Salmon Fishing in the Yemen was based on I can tell that certain parts of it have been watered down, if you'll pardon the pun, in order to present a crowd-pleasing romantic comedy. For me, charming as they both are, I never felt that Blunt and McGregor really had enough chemistry to be a central couple even though they're fairly well suited to their individual performances. I do like when Ewan McGregor does a role where he has to hold something back and here as Dr Fred Jones he portrays a man whose life is stuck in a rut and he needs someone to rescue him from it meanwhile Blunt is perfect as the charming PR woman who can easily hold her own in a man's world brimming with both confidence as well as vulnerability when the moment comes for it. For me though the film was at its best when dealing with the political elements in particular Kristen Scott Thomas' Mrs Maxwell who stole the film as a man-eating female Alistair Campbell figure who wasn't afraid to stand up to her superiors while simultaneously bonding with her son over a violent video game. The scenes in which she is sparring with the foreign minister or conspiring with the PM via webchat are much more entertaining than those in which Fred realises he is in love with Harriet. Ultimately there's not enough bite and too much cheese in Salmon Fishing in the Yemen to make it a very memorable film still it's amiable enough, thanks in part to its exotic locations and its top notch cast, still I would've preferred something more substancial than this very light romantic drama.

Verdict: Too much romantic dithering coupled with emotional heartfelt speeches meant that Salmon Fishing in the Yemen really dragged at times thankfully the reliable Kristen Scott Thomas added some much-needed bite to the film while the charming lead performances means that it gets a very generous 6/10