Salmon Fishing in Yemen

Salmon Fishing In The Yemen

I have been anxiously waiting for this comedy to open. Frankly I was disappointed. It was lighthearted and fun. The actors were adorable. Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt work well together. Some of the issues presented were quite ridiculous. My movie companion joked that I was taking it too literally and should ‘lighten up.’ I am sure she was right.
Dr Jones is an expert on salmon. He is called upon by the British government to take on a big challenge. The headlines in the paper had described a negative incident in Afghanistan and the government was looking for a diversion in the news.
A wealthy Sheik in Yemen wanted to create an enormous water system and to stock the waters with salmon. The sheik was an avid fisherman. Dr Jones was called upon to manage this colossal project. The problems were enormous such as how to build the giant water system and how to transport all the salmon to this part of the world.
It was rather hilarious to see the sheik trying to catch salmon while wearing his long white flowing robes and standing waist deep in the water.
Is it not possible for a wealthy sheik to purchase hip high rubber boots?
Dr Jones and his colleague in charge of the project live in tents on the side of the project. She just happened to be a beautiful young woman. (Emily Blunt) From my knowledge of the Middle East I know this would have been impossible. When her boyfriend shows up the two actually share a tent together. They are always in crisp white shirts in the midst of this camping spot.
There are two assassin attempts on the sheik. Those actions are not developed and are sketchy in the story.
Of course there are calamities and problems galore. The happy ending made the audience happy. They all clapped.
It is lighthearted. It is even fun in spots. At the same time it is silly and not well developed. There are several characters in the film that are supposed to add humor. The Prime Minister’s press officer is a ridiculous woman who is supposed to be funny.
I loved seeing the countryside but at the end it showed that the filming was in London and Morocco. I wonder if Yemen looks similar.
I can think of better ways to spend my money.