Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011)

Genre: Romantic Comedy / Drama

Directed by: Lasse Hallström

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, Kristin Scott Thomas

Running time: 107 minutes

A financial advisor recruits an uptight fisheries expert to lead a project paid for by a Yemen sheikh, who wants to bring the sport of fly fishing to his country. At first, the expert in this field scoffs at the idea, saying that it is unrealistic because Yemen does not have the necessary infrastructure to make it happen, but, soon enough, he embarks fully into the vision for this crazy idea.

This is a cute little fantasy film, with some solid performances and some not so good ones. Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt both had the right tone for their respective characters and thus made them believable. Kristin Scott Thomas, on the other hand, was way over the top, almost to the point of looking like a caricature. Every time she appeared on the screen, it took me out of it for a while. It was fortunate she did not have a bigger role in the whole thing. It is disappointing, because she has shown some better performances in the past; I have no idea what happened here.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is an entertaining little ditty of a film. It is nothing overly extraordinary, but it offers a nice little story with some good acting and majestic scenery.

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