Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

In this film, there is salmon fishing in the Yemen. The title is not a metaphor like “A Clockwork Orange” or “The Pink Panther Strikes Again.” There are characters in this film who use fishing poles with the intent to capture salmon while being in the Yemen.

You see, this is seen as a difficult task for there aren’t any salmon in the Yemen. Typically, the place is known for its deserts. However, in this movie, a sheikh believes such a pastime can bring harmony to the land, so he spends his riches trying to make it happen. He recruits Emily Blunt’s Harriet to lead the task, for which she hires salmon expert Alfred Jones, played by Ewan McGregor.

Dr. Jones keeps mentioning that to salmon-fish in the Yemen is an impossible task because of the lack of salmon and lack of water to store the hypothetical fish, but Harriet and the Shiekh are willing to spend millions without batting an eye. The point of the film is to convince Dr. Jones and the audience that this is a project worth pursuing. They almost do it.

The film, which is called “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” in case you forgot, is directed by Lasse Hallström. Hallström was responsible for a number of untraditionally inspirational movies like “My Life as a Dog," "The Cider House Rules" and "Chocolat." The screenwriter for “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” is Simon Beaufoy, who wrote some impressive movies like “The Full Monty," "Slumdog Millionaire" and "127 Hours." I bring this up because this should be right up their alley.

Not enough of the movie really gels together. There are subplots involving Kristen Scott Thomas as an arrogant press secretary and terrorists lurking in the background. Each of the beautiful leads have a romantic subplot that introduces interesting character complications but distracts from the salmon fishing that could be done in the Yemen. Hallström and Beaufoy aren’t able to make it coalesce into a compelling drama; any style the film shows is too reminiscent of the BBC’s “Sherlock” and, oddly, "Piranha 3D" (CG fish).

Why the film remains compelling through its flaws is how great Blunt and McGregor are. Their commitment to the characters is stronger than expected, especially McGregor, who plays a rather unappealing stick in the mud. As they venture into the inevitable flirting, they become more conventional. But there's a really interesting bond during that first half where they are reluctant coworkers. They aren’t bickering as they would in a dull romantic comedy, but they experience awkwardness over how much McGregor’s character doesn’t want to be there.

By the time the end arrives, its pleasantness is thanks entirely to them. Instead of working so hard to allow salmon fishing in the Yemen, I would rather just watch them salmon-fish in the Yemen.