REVIEWS


Reviews edited by Mark Adams mark.adams@emap.com


Salmon Fishing In The Yemen REVIEWED BY ALLAN HUNTER


A preposterous pipe dream nourishes an unlikely romance in Salmon Fishing In The Yemen, a hand- some, undemanding adaptation of Paul Torday’s bestselling novel. The combination of broad com- edy and syrupy romance may be more of an audi- ence pleaser than a critical favourite, but stars Emily Blunt and Ewan McGregor display a pleas- ing chemistry that lends charm to an uneven piece. Veteran director Lasse Halstrom has a strong


track record with soft-centred tearjerkers (Choco- lat, Dear John etc) and the combination of the source material and the cast should help place Salmon Fishing as a solid, middlebrow attraction. Torday’s novel was notable for its flippant satire


of UK politics, blithe spin doctors, cant and hypoc- risy. Those qualities are still evident in Simon Beaufoy’s screen adaptation but sit uneasily with the sentimental odd-couple love story. Kristin Scott Thomas delivers a scene-stealing


supporting performance as the UK prime minis- ter’s press spokesperson, Bridget Maxwell. Grown men quake at the sound of her approach as she crushes egos, turns the air blue and spits out punchlines with delicious aplomb. Clad in a head- scarf and puffing on a cigarette as she arranges a press call, she is reminiscent of Joanna Lumley’s Patsy from the UK television series Absolutely Fab- ulous. Her every appearance gives Salmon Fishing a shot in the arm but it feels as if her character belongs in a different film, perhaps In The Loop.


SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS


UK. 2011. 112mins Director Lasse Hallstrom Production companies BBC Films, Lionsgate UK, UK Film Council International sales Lionsgate International, www.lionsgatefilms.com/ intl Producer Paul Webster Executive producers Jamie Laurenson, Guy Avshalom, Stephen Garrett, Paula Jalfon, Zygi Kamasa Screenplay Simon Beaufoy based on the novel by Paul Torday Cinematography Terry Stacey Production designer Michael Carlin Editor Lisa Gunning Music Dario Marianelli Main cast Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, Kristin Scott Thomas, Amr Waked


n 8 Screen International at the Toronto Film Festival September 12, 2011 Desperate for some good news in the Middle


East, it is Maxwell who enthusiastically embraces a proposal to introduce salmon into the waterways of Yemen as a means to encourage fishing, build local alliances and fly the flag for Anglo-Yemeni relations. Stuffy fisheries expert Dr Fred Jones (McGregor) thinks the crackpot scheme is a joke. The persuasive entreaties of Harriet Chetwode- Talbot (Blunt) and the offer of $80m from an ide- alistic sheikh (Waked) change his mind. Soon, he has outlined plans for the construction


of a dam and the import of 10,000 salmon to the waterways. As the impossible dream starts to become a reality, Fred and Harriet are thrown together, two individuals united by a sense of lone-


liness. Her soldier boyfriend has been reported missing in action. His wife has abandoned their stale marriage for a job in Geneva. One of the problems for Salmon Fishing is the


casting of McGregor as pompous, cardigan-wear- ing Scottish academic Fred. He appears to be channelling the accent and mannerisms of his actor uncle Denis Lawson (Local Hero) and carries too much baggage to convince as such a dry stick. Fred even wears pyjamas during joyless sex, which must be something of a first for McGregor. His performance initially comes off as man-


nered and arch, only to become convincing when Fred sheds some of his straight-laced stuffiness to reveal the shy romantic charmer. Blunt has an easier time as Harriet, a smart,


capable woman who appears to have spent her life being underrated at work and in relationships. She is funny, sweetly vulnerable and very endear- ing, with her growing affection for Fred matching the way the viewer warms to the character. The second half of a longwinded film feels more


settled as Harriet and Fred fall in love and some predictable, perfunctory obstacles are placed in the way of their true happiness. Halstrom does not shy away from shameless sentimentality or pre- dictable contrivance and frequently overeggs the comedic elements with split-screen sequences and cartoonish on-screen e-mail exchanges to punch things up. Cinematographer Terry Stacey’s images of rugged UK countryside and the Yemeni desert add to the film’s overall appeal.


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