Lack of good storyline.

A Brilliant Conflict

If you're interested in the topic at hand, you should just watch it and judge yourself because the reviews have gone very biased by people that didn't even watch it and just hate (or love) the creator. I liked it, it was well written, narrated, and directed and it was about a topic that interests me.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

This movie is not meant to be realistic - hence pay no attention to the liberal PC naysayers ringing their hands about poor Yemen and incorrect dialect. Just believe me this film is dull, tedious, and totally derivative. It is meant to be a gentle, wistful comedy/drama about some not very realistic subject. The sort of thing Will Hay and Alec Guinness did for Ealing Studios in the 40s and 50s, and Bill McKenna did for Rank in the late 50s. So a rich Sheikh asks a doubting Euan MacGregor to build a salmon fishing river in the mountains of Yemen with the help of Emily Blunt as PR Manager. Both are attached, but the main thrust of the plot is will they get together. Something you lose interest about halfway through! A huge subplot is the involvement of UK government through foul-mouthed Kristin Scott Thomas playing the PM's Press Secretary looking for a good news story. This is now so hackneyed and predictable that it just grates dreadfully. The script is poorish, full of plot holes ( who built the dam and when?), the direction slow and often lazy, and the acting sluggish and rather disinterested. The only shining light is Rachael Stirling playing MacGregor's wife, who acts everybody else off the screen in a short cameo. Boring in the extreme - it totally fails to draw you in to its idiosyncrasies.

At first, Dr Jones can't believe how the project of creating a river in Yemen and load it with salmon in order of the Sheikh Muhammed to exercises his love of fishing, is even possible. But after the insistence of his representative, Harriet, and the involvement of the British government, Dr Jones will eventually take over the project, which will change his life.The film is a story about fish (a), love (b) marriage (c) human relations (d) and more. And even though the fishing and the knowing of the new civilization occupy the fist part of the film, love takes over the rest of it. However, there was something I didn't like about it. The ending wasn't really good. Not because of Harriet's choice, but more because of the rush that overtook it. The comical parts of the plot, the ones with the Ms Maxwell, weren't that good and they confused me a little and so I found them unnecessary. Other than that, the movie is nice enough to watch once or twice (can't see myself watching it more than that) but it's not a film that you can expect much from it.So 4 out of 10.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen tells the uplifting story of fisheries expert Dr Alfred Jones (Ewan McGregor) who is approached by consultant Harriet (Emily Blunt) who persuades him to work on a project for a sheik who wants to introduce salmon fishing to the Yemen. Initially the project seems impossible but over time Alfred and Harriet find themselves on a journey, taking a leap of faith to make it possible.The story itself is humble and touching, uniting the two main characters (McGregor and Blunt) who find themselves a little lost in life, and reminds them that with a little faith, anything is possible – a message that features strongly throughout. Despite its moralistic teachings, it manages to be surprisingly funny at the same time, mostly coming from Kristen Scott Thomas playing a no-nonsense government official. Ewan McGregor really shone in this film, bringing his character's flaws to the screen in a sweetly awkward fashion that was also bursting with relatability and honesty. Emily Blunt offers a more easy-going and self-assured role, although there are moments of well-placed vulnerability too. Despite these two strong performances I felt that sadly there wasn't much chemistry between the characters, something about it didn't have me convinced. Perhaps it was the uncertain, tenuous relationships that they had with their partners (played by Rachael Stirling and Tom Mision respectively) that made it all seem so awkward and slightly forced. Thankfully this doesn't spoil your enjoyment of the story too much. The setting is beautiful, some fantastic Scottish landscapes (something I really need to see more of having lived here most of my life) and from the Yemen too.Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is an uplifting and inspiring story that offers a touching reminder that anything is possible with just a little faith, something that few films provide. For me, I felt that the strong characters were tarnished just a little by their less-than-convincing interactions. Despite this, it's still and enjoyably sweet feel-good film, definitely worth a watch.

I came into this film with low expectations. I had loathed the book, so was interested to see how such a tedious work could possibly translate well to the screen.The movie blew my pessimism out of the water within the first ten minutes. The acting was just brilliant. I particularly enjoyed Kristin Scott Thomas and felt she should've played more of a part, but both Emily Blunt and Ewan McGregor were excellent and infinitely watchable. The script was lovely with just the right balance of humour and sentiment, and the cinematography was very nice indeed.One of the best non-clichéd romantic comedies I have seen in years. Well worth watching.