It would be fair to say that the British impression of the Middle East is far from favourable at present. Continual problems in Libya, embassy attacks in Afghanistan and a tentative relationship with Iran - each of which is highlighted on a daily basis courtesy of round-the-clock media - has left the average man and woman with a somewhat abhorrent outlook on our Eastern brethren. Furthermore, this historically strained relationship has seemingly reached breaking point on a number of occasions, many of which were spurred on by the horrific attacks on New York in 9/11; London in 7/7 and Madrid in 11-m.
As such, the making of such a culturally diverse film - based on the politically satirical novel of the same name by Paul Torday - is both a brave and timely addition to British and contemporary cinema.
It's also one of the best films 2012 has to offer thus far...
Avoiding spoilers,...
As such, the making of such a culturally diverse film - based on the politically satirical novel of the same name by Paul Torday - is both a brave and timely addition to British and contemporary cinema.
It's also one of the best films 2012 has to offer thus far...
Avoiding spoilers,...
- 4/26/2012
- Shadowlocked
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is the sort of – pardon the pun – “baity” title which sounds so self-consciously affected that it could quite easily sour expectations before the film even begins. Nevertheless, get past the daft title – which is uttered innumerable times throughout – and you get a surprisingly charming, if undeniably uneven dramedy which glides on the immaculate chemistry between its leads.
The yearnings of a powerful Yemeni sheik (Amr Waked) to fish for salmon at will is certainly an odd premise in which to situate a politico-romantic comic drama, yet it is a mix that, in spite of its flaws, actually works. Harriet Chetwode-Talbot (Emily Blunt) is a representative of the sheik, looking to source salmon and expertise from British scientist Fred Jones (Ewan McGregor), who quickly dismisses the idea as absurd. With some not-so-gentle nudging – and financial remuneration – from the Pm’s press secretary...
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is the sort of – pardon the pun – “baity” title which sounds so self-consciously affected that it could quite easily sour expectations before the film even begins. Nevertheless, get past the daft title – which is uttered innumerable times throughout – and you get a surprisingly charming, if undeniably uneven dramedy which glides on the immaculate chemistry between its leads.
The yearnings of a powerful Yemeni sheik (Amr Waked) to fish for salmon at will is certainly an odd premise in which to situate a politico-romantic comic drama, yet it is a mix that, in spite of its flaws, actually works. Harriet Chetwode-Talbot (Emily Blunt) is a representative of the sheik, looking to source salmon and expertise from British scientist Fred Jones (Ewan McGregor), who quickly dismisses the idea as absurd. With some not-so-gentle nudging – and financial remuneration – from the Pm’s press secretary...
- 4/25/2012
- by Shaun Munro
- Obsessed with Film
The country of Yemen is a world-class producer of sand, desert heat, and political violence. Salmon are, of course, cold-water fish that are challenging to hook with a rod and reel but taste yummy once they’re caught. Based on a novel by Paul Torday, Salmon Fishing In The Yemen tells of an eccentric billionaire Yemen Sheik (Amir Waked) determined to bring the sport of salmon fishing to his desert nation. Britain’s leading fisheries scientist Dr. Alfred Jones (Ewan McGregor) is hired by the Sheik’s consultant Harriett (Emily Blunt) to help realize the Sheik’s dream and export the salmon from the U.K. Jones thinks the project unrealistic but the Prime Minister’s overzealous press secretary Patricia Maxwell (Kristin Scott Thomas) latches on to it as a positive assignment that will help Anglo-Yemeni relations. The unhappily-married Jones is skeptical but enters knee-deep into the venture with the...
- 3/23/2012
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
I’d be remiss if I didn’t explain the two most pressing points about Salmon Fishing in the Yemen right up front. Yes, they do get salmon in the Yemen, and of course our charming leads Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt get together. I don’t think that’s a spoiler as much as a romantic comedy stable. Romcoms are always about the journey, not the destination and this is one journey that is absolutely worth taking.
The foundation of the plot comes at the whims of two very important and extremely powerful people. One is a rich Yemeni Sheikh (Amr Waked) who wants to bring his favorite Scottish past time, salmon fishing, to his homeland in order to foster good will and cooperation amongst its fractured populace. Never mind the fact that his homeland is relatively baron of all things that scream out “this is a good place to fish.
The foundation of the plot comes at the whims of two very important and extremely powerful people. One is a rich Yemeni Sheikh (Amr Waked) who wants to bring his favorite Scottish past time, salmon fishing, to his homeland in order to foster good will and cooperation amongst its fractured populace. Never mind the fact that his homeland is relatively baron of all things that scream out “this is a good place to fish.
- 3/9/2012
- by jpraup@gmail.com (thefilmstage.com)
- The Film Stage
The first two-thirds of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen are quite good, but around that 70-minute mark it's as if screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) handed off script duties to someone that has only watched horrible romantic comedies their entire life. I'm not sure I've ever been this high on a movie to come crashing down to such lows so quickly. I would easily rate the first half of this film somewhere in the "B+" range, but the final third is an unequivocal "F".
Loaded with metaphors from the dialogue to the imagery, Lasse Halstrom (Chocolat) is certainly having fun directing this adaptation of Paul Torday's book, and it is a film to have fun with, which makes my disdain for the ending even more anguishing. At the center of the story is Alfred (Ewan McGregor) and Harriet (Emily Blunt). Alfred is a fisheries expert in a dead end...
Loaded with metaphors from the dialogue to the imagery, Lasse Halstrom (Chocolat) is certainly having fun directing this adaptation of Paul Torday's book, and it is a film to have fun with, which makes my disdain for the ending even more anguishing. At the center of the story is Alfred (Ewan McGregor) and Harriet (Emily Blunt). Alfred is a fisheries expert in a dead end...
- 3/9/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen
Directed by: Lasse Hallstrom
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, Kristen Scott Thomas, Amr Waked
Running Time: 1 hr 51 mins
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: March 9, 2012
Plot: A fisheries expert (McGregor) is hired by a consultant (Blunt) to help a sheikh (Waked) realize his dream of being able to fish for salmon in the desert.
Who’S It For?: Like your romances light and international? And maybe with a few dashes of human spirit sprinkled throughout? This unique dish could be a nice treat for your taste.
Expectations: Before sitting down for this one having barely remembered a preview, I can absolutely admit that the title created some large skepticism; was the name of this movie meant to be a marketing prank? Or perhaps, a test for publicists? At the same time, I was curious as to whether the charismatic McGregor and Blunt could somehow pull this one off.
Directed by: Lasse Hallstrom
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, Kristen Scott Thomas, Amr Waked
Running Time: 1 hr 51 mins
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: March 9, 2012
Plot: A fisheries expert (McGregor) is hired by a consultant (Blunt) to help a sheikh (Waked) realize his dream of being able to fish for salmon in the desert.
Who’S It For?: Like your romances light and international? And maybe with a few dashes of human spirit sprinkled throughout? This unique dish could be a nice treat for your taste.
Expectations: Before sitting down for this one having barely remembered a preview, I can absolutely admit that the title created some large skepticism; was the name of this movie meant to be a marketing prank? Or perhaps, a test for publicists? At the same time, I was curious as to whether the charismatic McGregor and Blunt could somehow pull this one off.
- 3/9/2012
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
Picking on "Salmon Fishing In The Yemen" makes us feel like a bit of a bully, as though we're mercilessly teasing that super nice but incredibly dumb girl in class. It's an affable, inoffensive British comedy that just wants you to like it so much that you can't help but snicker behind its back. Or are we the only ones who are that cruel?
Based on Paul Torday's novel, "Salmon Fishing In The Yemen" follows the efforts of a team to bring a salmon run to the Middle Eastern country at the request of an ambitious sheikh/amateur fisherman (Amr Waked, "Syriana"). The sheikh's representative Harriet (Emily Blunt) approaches fisheries expert Dr. Fred Jones (Ewan McGregor), who initially scoffs at the idea, then is reluctantly tasked with the enormous, multi-million dollar project. Meanwhile, the British prime minister is tired of all the bad press coming out of the area,...
Based on Paul Torday's novel, "Salmon Fishing In The Yemen" follows the efforts of a team to bring a salmon run to the Middle Eastern country at the request of an ambitious sheikh/amateur fisherman (Amr Waked, "Syriana"). The sheikh's representative Harriet (Emily Blunt) approaches fisheries expert Dr. Fred Jones (Ewan McGregor), who initially scoffs at the idea, then is reluctantly tasked with the enormous, multi-million dollar project. Meanwhile, the British prime minister is tired of all the bad press coming out of the area,...
- 3/8/2012
- by Kimber Myers
- The Playlist
It's possible you may not have noticed it, but three-time Academy Award nominee Lasse Hallstrom has become an immensely prolific director. During the '90s he scored some of the biggest hits of his career including "Chocolat," "The Cider House Rules" and "The Shipping News," and though things quieted down in the new millenium, he rebounded with a flourish, scoring his second biggest hit with the Nicolas Sparks' adaptation "Dear John." And now he's back with the romantic comedy "Salmon Fishing In The Yemen."
The film, based on a true story, concerns the budding romance between a fussy fisheries professor (Ewan McGregor) and a freewheeling British consultant (Emily Blunt) as they embark on a somewhat unlikely plan to bring salmon to the hot sands of the Yemen. The picture, penned by Oscar-winner Simon Beaufoy ("Slumdog Millionaire") is based on a book by Paul Torday, who recounts the correspondence between involved parties with text messages,...
The film, based on a true story, concerns the budding romance between a fussy fisheries professor (Ewan McGregor) and a freewheeling British consultant (Emily Blunt) as they embark on a somewhat unlikely plan to bring salmon to the hot sands of the Yemen. The picture, penned by Oscar-winner Simon Beaufoy ("Slumdog Millionaire") is based on a book by Paul Torday, who recounts the correspondence between involved parties with text messages,...
- 3/8/2012
- by Gabe Toro
- The Playlist
“Salmon Fishing in the Yemen,” which works hard at being quirky, hooks a viewer early on but fails in the end fully to reel one in. When you keep wishing a movie would devote more time to a supporting character rather than the leads, it’s never a good sign. Also read: 'John Carter' Review: Lifeless on Mars' That’s the case with this slight British dramedy in which Kristin Scott Thomas gives a broad but extremely funny performance as Patricia Maxwell, a tough-talking, take-charge press aide to the British Prime Minister. Every time she...
- 3/8/2012
- by Leah Rozen
- The Wrap
Here’s a nice new UK trailer courtesy of Lionsgate for Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt’s new movie, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen. We saw a Us theatrical trailer for the movie just before Christmas and although this trailer has the same intro dialogue, it give us rather a lot more footage. Blunt and McGregor star alongside Kristin Scott, Amr Waked, Catherine Steadman and Tom Mison. It’s directed by Lasse Hallström and we can expect to see it 9th March.
Synopsis: A romantic, contemporary fable, Salmon Fishing In The Yemen is the tale of government employee Dr Alfred, or Fred, Jones (Ewan McGregor), a rather introverted scientist at the Department of Fisheries and Agriculture. Trudging along in his day job, with his marriage stagnating, his world is suddenly thrown into turmoil when he’s drawn into a scheme hatched by a fly fishing-obsessed Yemeni Sheikh (Amr Waked) who...
Synopsis: A romantic, contemporary fable, Salmon Fishing In The Yemen is the tale of government employee Dr Alfred, or Fred, Jones (Ewan McGregor), a rather introverted scientist at the Department of Fisheries and Agriculture. Trudging along in his day job, with his marriage stagnating, his world is suddenly thrown into turmoil when he’s drawn into a scheme hatched by a fly fishing-obsessed Yemeni Sheikh (Amr Waked) who...
- 1/5/2012
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
This evening has been quite an eventful one. I visited the Captain America set earlier and you can see my photos and footage from the visit here. After processing all the videos and images etc, I check my email to find that a rather proactive reader of the site named James Steiner has found where they’re shooting Ewan McGregor’s new movie, and has managed to get an interview and some on-set photos from the shoot.
Salmon Fishing In The Yemen is directed by Lasse Hallström and is based on the novel by Paul Torday and ironically, is one to have been supported by the UK Film Council. It seems rather topical that it appear today!
Simon Beaufoy has been responsible for adapting the novel and has previously worked with the likes of Danny Boyle on Slumdog Millionaire and more recently, on 127 Hours. The movie also stars Emily Blunt,...
Salmon Fishing In The Yemen is directed by Lasse Hallström and is based on the novel by Paul Torday and ironically, is one to have been supported by the UK Film Council. It seems rather topical that it appear today!
Simon Beaufoy has been responsible for adapting the novel and has previously worked with the likes of Danny Boyle on Slumdog Millionaire and more recently, on 127 Hours. The movie also stars Emily Blunt,...
- 8/17/2010
- by David Sztypuljak
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
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