SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN: an unexpected catch

SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN is one of those films that does exactly what it says on the tin.

There's absolutely no spoiler alert required before I reveal that this story concerns the efforts of a wealthy Yemeni sheikh (Amr Waked) to bring his favourite sport to his desert-like nation. To assist him in his fantastical vision he enlists the help of initially reluctant British fisheries expert Dr Alfred Jones.
As played by a surprisingly youthful looking Ewan McGregor, Jones is a strait-laced, socially awkward and emotionally repressed British government scientist, trapped in an unfulfilling marriage. He's extremely dismissive of the sheikh's ambitious plans to stock an artificially created lake and river with thousands of British salmon, believing there's no way the fish will survive in such foreign waters.
But he's under orders from the highest levels of the British government to make the scheme work and with some gentle encouragement from the sheikh's pr representative, Harriett (Emily Blunt) he slowly finds himself being won over to the project and the sheikh's vision of what it could do for his country.
I admit that selling a big screen film centred around fishing is an uphill proposition, and the producers certainly haven't helped themselves with the less than alluring title. It's going to act as an instant turn-off to 90% of the potential audience.
But, given the right frame of mind SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN is actually a very charming, pleasant and - dare I say it - enjoyable experience.

The story moves at the pace of the highland rivers the sheikh is so fond of fishing in. It unfolds in a leisurely manner with very little in the way of overt drama. The pleasure here is derived primarily from entering into the lives of Alfred and Harriett and getting to know them as real people rather than simply characters played by two well known actors. I've never been a huge fan of McGregor but he's definitely been on a roll recently with Alfred just the latest in a string of fine performances that have included 'Perfect Sense', 'Beginners' and 'The Ghost Writer'  in the past few years. Blunt's Harriett is immensely likeable, vulnerable and endearing and while it's inevitable that the two will become romantically entwined at some point director Lasse Hallstrom avoids the rom-com cliches in getting them to that point.
There are a couple of other pieces of business that are handled with considerably less subtlety and damage the overall tone of the film. Both involve politics and politicians, British and Yemeni, with Kristin Scott Thomas as a female Alistair Campbell supposedly adding humour to the UK end of the proceeding, and the Yemeni end offering a very half-hearted and perfunctory nod in the direction of the factionalism and violence which plagues that country.
Not to be mistaken for British cinema's take on 'A River Runs Through It' SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN is considerably less rose-tinted and sentimental yet succeeds in remaining soft at heart - but in a good and delightful way.