Movie Spoiler SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN (review follows)

Movie Spoiler: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (capsule review follows).  The opening shots are of a river full of salmon.  There’s a man fishing.  A voiceover of Harriet Chetwode-Talbot (Emily Blunt) writing an email to Dr. Alfred Jones (Ewan McGregor).  She works for the Foreign Commonwealth Office and wants to capture Jones’ interest in a salmon project in Yemen, funded by entrepreneur Sheikh Muhammad (Amr Waked).  She sends her note and says goodbye to his secretary Ashley (Catherine Steadman).  He boyfriend of three weeks Capt. Robert Mayers (Tom Mison) greets her outside the building and challenges to race to their restaurant date. 

The next voiceover is from Alfred writing a dismissive response to Harriet calling the idea “unfeasible.”  His wife Mary (Rachael Stirling) in the kitchen insists he qualify the word with “fundamentally.”  They part ways and she goes to bed.  It’s not a picture of the happiest of marriages. 

A phone call wakes up the Prime Minister’s Press Officer Bridget Maxwell (Kristin Scott Thomas) and her husband Peter (Tom Beard) in the middle of the night.  She turns on the news that there has been an Afghani mosque bombed.  At work, she tells her people to dig up a positive Middle Eastern story.  There is a montage involving an assortment of ideas until she gets word of the salmon project.  She doesn’t care for it, but goes for it.  She visits the PM at 10 Downing Street to present it as a PR opportunity to place a healthy spin on English-Middle-Eastern relations. 

At work, Alfred dips a fishing fly in ink and casts it against a picture of the PM pinned to his cubicle wall.  During a split screen, his boss Operation Line Manager Bernard Sugden (Conieth Hill) receives a call from Abby about finding a way to make the project happen.  Office work Betty (Jill Baker) drops by to summon Alfred to Bernard’s office.  Instead, Bernard seeks him out and requests he meet at the FCO. 

Harriet greets him and they talk in her office.  He insists that the idea is ludicrous, but she proves to be more knowledgeable about the Yemenis climate, aquifers, and dams, than he anticipated.  She informs him that there are already plans to create an irrigation systems in some of the desert areas.  FCO’s client the Sheikh wants to see this happens.  On his way out, he runs into a clear door prompting a giggle from Harriet. 

Alfred tells Bernard that the meeting was a bust, but his boss tells him he can either quit by signing a P45 or accepting the assignment, for which he’ll be paid double by the Sheikh’s company Fitz, Warehouse & Price.  In church, his wife and him practice with their quarter and she tells him he would be a fool if he didn’t accept the assignment.  While they walk home in the rain, she pays more attention to her phone than him and makes a comment about Geneva and the Euro.  They make uneventful love and go to sleep.

The next day, Robert gets the call to go to war.  She tells him that she’ll wait for him.  In a conference room, Alfred brainstorms with Harriet with his point being that the idea is ridiculous.  She basically tells him that money is no object for the Sheikh and he has license to indulge whatever vision he develops to create the conditions for salmon to thrive.  He indulges her and shoots for the moon requesting resources he doesn’t believe she’ll be able to provide, but will be required in order for success to be achieved. 

At home, Mary informs Alfred that she’s taking off for six weeks to work in Geneva.  While he feeds bread the Koi in their backyard pond (hint, hint, poi are not native to London), she apologizes for not consulting him first, but is going anyway.  Harriet listens to a news report about a soldier getting killed.  At home on the phone, Bridget handles damage control on a political scandal while she kisses her family goodbye for the day.  She receives an email from Harriet that the Sheikh approved Alfred’s recommended $50M budget. 

Through voiceover, Harriet emails Alfred about meeting the Sheikh.  Bernard introduces Bridget to Alfred and she gets ecstatic when Alfred informs her that there are two million licensed fisherpersons in England, indicating the assortment of publications promoting the industry.  She leaves it up to Bernard to find 10,000 British salmon to ship over to Yemen and IM’s the PM about he expertise as far as fishing. 

Harriet and Alfred take a copter to the Sheikh’s Scottish estate, where there is an assortment of fancy, high-end fishing equipment laid out for his arrival.  While fishing, Harriet introduces the Sheikh to Alfred.  He has ridiculously beautiful eyes and an easy energy.  He takes to Alfred and expresses an optimism about their collaboration.  The Sheikh also displays his vast knowledge by identifying a fly Alfred designed and named the “Willy Jones.”  They fish some more and the Sheikh explains his love of fishing is in part to how its one of the only activities that breaks down all classist borders.  He catches a salmon. 

That night, the two English persons dress up for dinner (both actors, especially Blunt, clean up rather nicely).  While Alfred, ever the man rooted in science, facts, and figures, disagrees, the Sheikh explains that fishing is a form of religion.  During tea, the Sheikh discusses both of their relationship situations.  Afterwards, Alfred and Harriet debrief. 

The next day, there are visuals of salmon swimming.  Bernard speaks with Tom Price-Williams (Clive Wood) via Skype.  To Alfred’s surprise, Harriet has made good on one of his lofty and requests and pays him a visit with three of the engineers from the Three Gorges Dam in China.  She translates their Mandarin for Alfred.  Bernard stops the young couple in the hallway, who have just finished a great meeting with the engineers.  While dining with Alfred, Harriet receives a call that Robert is MIA.  He comforts her.  She has an awkward conversation with Robert’s mother over the phone and Alfred leaves a message for her while she’s holed up in her apartment grieving, gently citing an ancient proverb that “time and tide wait for no man” … or woman. 

On his way to work, there is a bird’s eye shot of Alfred in a throng of people, who, like a salmon, decides to start swimming upstream, where he finds himself at Harriet’s apartment.  That talk and he implores her to go to Yemen with him. 

After the camera zeros in on a map, the two land in a dessert.  From there, they drive in a van/truck caravan to a remote village.  They watch the locals worship and Alfred makes the comment that he doesn’t know anyone who goes to church anymore.  “Sundays, we go to Target.”  They arrive at the site of the dam where a woman brings them cold water to drink while they spend some time alone.  They hike up to a point where they’re able to survey the scope of the project.  They hear the Sheikh arguing in Arabic with another man.  Afterwards, he explains that the man was offended by his decision to impose Western ways on their culture. 

Back in London, Bernard has another unsuccessful video conference with Tom.  The environmental agency has made a big stink about removing 10,000 salmon and there is a montage of the bad press that piles atop Bernard’s efforts.  After pointlessly leaving a voicemail for the MIA Roberts, Harriet and Alfred talk about the pain each one is enduring. 

Two of the guys that argued with the Sheikh hire another man to kill him.  The Sheikh and the couple travel back to Scotland.  The news plays and her family dines, while Bridget talks on the phone.  A piece of salmon falls out of the refrigerator.  She take the Sheikh, Alfred, and Harriet to a fish farm for the 10,000 salmon they need.  Alfred informs her that farmed salmon don’t run the river correctly and resigns from his position with her.  While fishing with the Sheikh, he says his life when the assassin shows up.  After Harriet alerts them of his presence, Alfred casts his rod with a right-handed shake roll and rips the fly into his face.  The Sheikh thanks Alfred for saving his life and leaves.  While watching the news, British military fatalities are reported and she figures Robert to be dead.  Alfred spends the night comforting her and then leaves her room the next morning.  Back home, Mary displays a very unconvincing jealousy.  While he feeds the Koi, he tells her he loves her, but she leaves. 

There are more shots of salmon swimming.  Alfred flies back to Scotland and tells the Sheikh and Harriet that the farm fish will have to do.  In Yemen, the three watch the arrival of the salmon, which are then fed into the river through long tubes connected to the tanks.  While playing video games with her son, Bridget receives a call that Robert is alive.  She IM’s the PM about his fishing skills and his upcoming trip to Yemen. 

The Sheikh conducts a prayer on the day of completion.  The lake and the dam that created it is pretty spectacular.  At night, Alfred and Harriet go on a swim.  On the rocks, we see that Ewan McGregor has some pretty hairy arms.  Alfred expresses his feelings to her, which she responds positively too, but tells him that she needs more time.  The next day, the media arrives, along with Bridget. 

While Harriet talks with Alfred on the dock, a copter arrives and reveals Robert.  She runs over to him and they embrace.  Alfred watches the reunion as he squeezes a fly and cuts himself intentionally.  Bridget holds a press conference with the two lovers and the Sheikh consoles Alfred.  That night, Harriet and Robert cuddle.  This is the part of the movie where Robert says really disagreeable things that will make it okay for when Harriet decides she doesn’t love him anymore.  Alfred texts Mary that their marriage is over. 

The next day, Alfred confesses his feelings to Robert.  The Sheikh makes an announcement to the media while Bridget preps the PM for his fishing photo op.  When the dam starts to release water, the fish swim the wrong way, but then change course.  As they run, everyone celebrates.  Then, the Bad Guys show up and sabotage the dam, causing the river to overflow.  While everyone is fishing, including the PM with Robert, the massive water release starts charging at them.  When they find shelter by a rock, the humble billionaire allows Alfred to save himself first, before he helps the Sheikh up to safety. 

The dam drains and the river is destroyed.  Those who died are carried out on gurneys.  The Sheikh explains that he knows who is responsible, but there is no point in going after them, because perhaps he brought this on himself for pushing Yemen too quickly into the future.  However, he wants to give his project another go.  Harriet waits for Alfred to respond, who isn’t sure about what he wants to do.  The next day, Robert tells Harriet she’s leaving.  She walks over to Alfred to say goodbye.  They both are wearing white dress shirts and have their hands tucked inside their khaki pants.  The Sheikh witnesses some salmon jumping out of the puddles and points them out to everyone.  Alfred decides to stay and involve the locals, rather than impose technology imperialistically.  Harriet asks if she can join and Robert leaves.  They reflect on the river as they hold hands.  The sun sets.  Bridget IM’s the PM about sacking the foreign minister.  The End.  Roll credits.   

Capsule Review

While the movie was sweet, it didn’t have much of a pulse.  Blunt is delightful and Kristin Scott Thomas is enjoyably vicious.  But, there really isn’t strength in the romance between Blunt and McGregor and the plot involving the dam is oftentimes silly.  It’s hard to believe that the billionaire Sheikh wouldn’t have security detail at all times, but maybe that’s how he rolls.  However, I applaud the film in exploring cross-cultural and classist themes, even at a superficial level.

Box Office Prospects

Already out for three weeks, the film is quietly gathering up a small sum of money.  It’s made $1.6M US thus far and doesn’t stand to make much more than $5M stateside.   

Oscar Prospects

While the movie itself is above average, it’s mostly for the original subject material, and Emily Blunt’s charisma.  Otherwise, it’s quite flawed.  There’s no chemistry between Blunt and McGregor (which may have been part of the point of the film—nothing happens overnight) and it doesn’t help that the story is so predictable.  Of course, Alfred is in a loveless marriage and Harriet is in love with an MIA soldier she had only known for three weeks.  The obstacles are there to complicate things, but they do so rather poorly.  Kristin Scott Thomas is brilliant as the zealous, overachieving press secretary who sees opportunity in the direst of circumstances.  There frankly isn’t enough of her.  The most I can see is a Golden Globe nod in the comedy category for Blunt and that would only be if this film were to seriously grow some legs and The Five-Year Engagement flops.