Before I was
drafted into watching Salmon Fishing in the Yemen I didn't have a clue about
it. I wasn't sure if it was based on a book, based on a true story or even what
type of film it was. I just saw that Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt were in it
and decided to give it a go. As it turns out it is a romance film about a sheikh who, as the title suggests, wants to start salmon fishing in his home country
of, you guessed it, Yemen.
Ewan McGregor is
a civil servant who is enthusiastic about fishing. He is approached by Emily
Blunt on behalf of the sheikh in an attempt to construct a method of
transporting salmon to the Yemen in order so the sheikh and the local community
can catch them. Despite Alfred Jones (Ewan McGregor) being married, and Harriet
(Emily Blunt) having a boyfriend fighting overseas, the two of them start to
bond over the seemingly impossible nature of their project. Combined with
Kristen Scott Thomas as the divisive Patricia Maxwell, one of the Prime
Minister’s advisors, the cast is very strong.
Ewan McGregor, in
my eyes, does very well. He is an actor with such a fantastic range of
performances. Here he starts off as an irritable man whose domestic life is
almost as unhappy as his occupation. When he is first approached about the
project he laughs it into incredulity, but soon finds himself seconded to the
project. Naturally, as time goes by he becomes more and more devoted to the
project, eventually delighting in its success. McGregor plays a character who
transforms throughout the film, and the man we are presented with at the end of
the movie is very different from the man who we are introduced to. Although his
chemistry with Harriet is perhaps a little bit too scripted, and a little bit
too predictable, the audience is genuinely upset when it doesn't go to plan for
them. This is even more impressive given that at the start of the film, I wasn't particularly taken with his character and found myself even disliking
him.
Ewan McGregor’s
connection with Emily Blunt is perhaps a little awkward, but that might be the
mature of the characters the two of them play. They are both radically
different, but Emily Blunt doesn't excel in this role. She is good, but as with
so many female roles in romantic movies, she does not complete the film.
However, she does manage the range of emotions when he boyfriend is reported
missing very well. For much of the early part of the film she comes across as a
curt business woman, but these scenes allow some of her acting ability to shine
through. The blossoming of her relationship with Alfred is apparent by the time
her boyfriend returns, and by this point the audience is firmly aware of the
awkwardness of this encounter. There are a few problems with her character
though. Ultimately, she knew the soldier for three weeks before he was called
up, and she seems to be irrationally upset when he goes missing. This is a
minor plot flaw though.
Neither of the
main characters have any depth to them though. There is no background to them,
not complexity to their characters and very little fault to either of their
personalities. The same can be said for the sheikh for whom ‘eccentric’ doesn't quite cover it. The man who plays him is undoubtedly very suited for the role,
and has the appearance of a man who commands respect, but his goal of bringing
salmon to Yemen is ultimately ridiculous. This is the comedic point of the
film, yes, but the audience just cannot believe in it. The comedy element of
the film could have been managed much better. It could have been a genuinely
funny film rather than a film which has moments intended to be funny.
Kristen
Scott-Thomas has an impressive CV, but her performance in Salmon Fishing in the
Yemen will not be one to add to the list. This film was released in a time when
political satire is quite popular (when is it ever not popular). Programs such
as The Thick of It and films such as In the Loop set the benchmark for
political satire, and I think that Kristen Scott-Thomas is trying to play Peter
Capaldi’s famed character, but adding a female slant to it. She really suffers
in the light of these comparisons, and if I were to pick one bad part about the
film, her character would be it. The scenes where her and the Prime Minister
are talking over some form of instant messaging device ruin the film for me.
These parts can easily be gotten rid of. At the risk of sounding pretentious,
the political part of this film could have been done so much better by the
film-makers.
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