Salmon Fishing in The Yemen (2011)

Director Lasse Hallström

With a script from Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours) based on Paul Torday’s bestselling novel, this witty rom-com revolves around the effort to make the impossible possible, as a reticent bureaucrat (Ewan McGregor) joins forces with a determined legal representative (the delectable Emily Blunt) to introduce fly fishing into the Middle East.  McGregor stars as Fred Jones, stuffy government fisheries scientist who is reluctantly drawn into the seemingly ludicrous effort by a fishing-obsessed Arab sheik (Amr Waked) to introduce British salmon into the wadis of the Yemen. At first resisting the proposal, he is pressured into going along with the plan at the behest of senior diplomats, who are intent upon gaining the sheik’s favor. Urged on by the Arab’s British rep, Harriet (Blunt), Fred is ultimately won over by the sheik’s passion for the sport, which he believes brings him “closer to God”, and hopes it will do the same for his countrymen. As the mismatched Fred and Harriet embark upon their task, a different sort of sport gains their interest… Directed by the modern maestro of cinematic whimsy Lasse Hallström (Chocolat, My Life as a Dog), and boasting a brilliantly brittle comedic performance by Kristin Scott Thomas as the Prime Minister’s PR maven, Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is a true delight. - Palm Springs International Film Festival