'Salmon Fishing' Delicious For All Ages

FILM REVIEW

• By Cecilia Cygnar

Trailer of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is a sweet, well-meaning film that is cursed with a bad title.  Much like last year’s We Bought a Zoo, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is an accurate explanation of the movie plot…but that does not mean it SHOULD be the movie title.  

Think of famous movie titles…such as Casablanca.  Now, a more accurate title would have been Letters of Transit Out of Casablanca, but somehow, that lacks the panache of just Casablanca, which is exotic and mysterious.  Or how about North by Northwest.  More accurately, it could have been one of the titles director Alfred Hitchcock originally turned down…The Man In Lincoln’s Nose, reminiscing the Mount Rushmore climax.  In those cases, greater minds prevailed.  Not so much here.  So, we’re stuck with a fantastic, light-hearted film that all ages would enjoy, entitled Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.  

But, trust me: see this movie.  Don’t be afraid it will be a lesson of catching fish in a river…something you might see on Sunday morning with Babe Winkleman.   Part romance, part drama, part comedy, all heart, this film finds the good in all people.  It is a lesson in multiculturalism, teaching us that peace in the Middle East could be aided improved with something as innocuous as fly fishing.  Is this unrealistic?  A little. (OK…a lot.)  

But, is it this activity that carries a positive message for all?  Most definitely.  Scotsman Ewan McGregor stars as a cog in the British Government’s fish and wildlife department who gets stuck with the project of kowtowing to a Yemeni sheik who loves fishing in Scotland.  Emily Blunt, who plays a representative for the sheik, at first enrages McGregor’s character as someone unrealistic and flighty concerning the obstacles ahead, but as the project is pushed forward because of its positive Middle East spin, McGregor and Blunt must find a way to not only make their relationship work, but a way to get thousands of fish from Scotland to Yemen.  

Much like We Bought a Zoo’s cross-generational appeal, this film will be loved by young and old, as well as being appreciated by for its appealing message of hope and peace.  Much of this appeal is due to McGregor and Blunt, who play their characters with the right level of both charm and delight.  Some of it has to do with director Lasse Hallström, who has a knack for helming some of the most entertaining, engaging films of recent years, including Chocolat and The Cider House Rules.  But, most of the appeal here is due to an engaging story that all should enjoy.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen: 2011, PG-13, 107 minutes, directed by Lasse Hallström, starring Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt and Kristin Scott Thomas.  The Niles Public Library owns this title on DVD.

Cecilia Cygnar of the Niles Public Library reviews movies you can check out from the library.