I keep meaning to review older movies, but I can’t help but review movies that I have recently seen! So far, all the movies I have reviewed have been award contenders, including this one: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, which was nominated for 3 Golden Globes this year (Best Picture: Musical or Comedy, Best Actress in a Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy, and Best Actor in a Motion Picture: Musical or Comedy). I can happily say that it deserved those nominations.
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is about a fisheries expert( Ewan McGregor) who is approached by a consultant (Emily Blunt) to help realize a sheik’s (Amr Waked) vision of bringing the sport of fly-fishing to the Yemen desert, initiating an upward journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible possible.
I liked Salmon Fishing a lot. It was a charming, feel-good movie. However, the movie was sometimes carried through by its amazing cast. Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt were fantastic in this movie. You know, I honestly thought McGregor always had a British accent, but then he had such a remarkable Scottish accent in the film that I was prompted to look the matter up and I found that he was originally from Scotland, which must have been helpful. In conclusion, his accent was great, as well as his amazing performance. Emily Blunt did a good job too, and the both of them had great chemistry in this movie. I loved them together. Kristen Scott Thomas was additionally in the cast, as the British Prime Minister’s overzealous press secretary. Her character, at times, was bit too overzealous for me, but nevertheless she belonged in the film.
Harriet (Blunt) and Dr. Jones (McGregor) talking to Sheik Muhammed (Waked) about the salmon plan.
One of my only problems with the film was that it started into the storyline so suddenly that I was unprepared and confused. The plot was a bit puzzling at times, but it all smooths out as the film progresses. The accents were a bit heavy too, but that’s really not a huge issue. Also the ending seemed a bit unfinished, tying up the loose strings too quickly. However, I did love the plot of the film because the whole idea was very original, though we can’t forget that it was based on a novel of the same name by Paul Torday. The imagery was beautiful and symbolic too. There was one scene where a salmon swims the opposite way in the river, which parallels a scene earlier in the film where McGregor’s character turns around and walks through a crowd after a sudden realization. So I guess, McGregor is essentially the “salmon”? Oh….. that does make sense, but I can’t explain without giving away too much!
Salmon Fishing had everything a film should have: comedy, drama, romance, etc. It was full of hope and new beginnings, which I liked. And c’mon, salmon in the Yemen?! Even I didn’t believe in it, but by the end you realize that the wise sheik didn’t only want salmon to come to the desert. He also wanted faith to come and so it does, in the film and also in the hearts of viewers.
ALL IN ALL: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is a charming movie that brings faith and joy to its viewers.
images courtesy of:
Ticket Stub Love 
