Popcorn and Inspiration: ‘Salmon Fishing in the Yemen’: The Power of Faith

PG-13 | 1h 47min | Comedy, Drama, Romance | 20 April 2012 (UK)

When “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” hit theaters in 2011, a New York subway poster advertising the lottery showed a Boeing 747 with the words “Kevin’s Airline” stenciled on its side. And a huge photo of Kevin’s face on the rear stabilizer fin. The caption read: “That kind of rich.”

In this delightful comedy-drama-romance, a wealthy sheik, upon falling in love with cold-water fly-fishing on his Scottish estate, decides that he'll just construct himself a convenient fly-fishing river smack-dab in the middle of a Yemen desert—his homeland. What would you call that?

Dr. Alfred Jones (Ewan McGregor) points out the sheer folly of the sheik's vision, in “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.” (CBS Films Inc.)

“That kind of rich” could have been the alternative title for “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.” However, it’s not about the squandering of wealth that it first appears to be. It’s about the project as a concrete manifestation of the sheik’s deep and poetic understanding of faith.

If You Build It They Will Come

When the British military inadvertently blows up a mosque in Afghanistan, the prime minister’s top spin doctor, Patricia Maxwell (Kristin Scott Thomas), immediately orders her team to dig up “a good news story from the Middle East.” Said story is to be exploited into a warm, fuzzy diversion of public attention away from said mosque fiasco.

Patricia Maxwell (Kristin Scott Thomas) and Sheik Muhammed (Amr Waked, R) in “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.” (CBS Films Inc.)

The sheik’s intention to reconstruct his beloved salmon-fishing milieu in the Yemen desert is quickly sniffed out. He claims that, more than anything else, it’s an offering of healing, peace, and spiritual uplifting for his troubled people. Warm and fuzzy perfection!

Exceedingly uptight scientist Dr. Fred Jones (Ewan McGregor, never better) is a fisheries expert. Spin-doc Patricia saddles him with overseeing the salmon-fishing project, to which he is at first vehemently opposed due to its staggering, on-the-page, logistical and scientific impossibility.

Dr. Alfred Jones (Ewan McGregor), a fisheries expert, explains why it’s impossible to transplant a Scottish fly-fishing stream in the middle of the desert, in “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.” (CBS Films Inc.)

Aided in his initial foot-dragging efforts by the sheik’s comely representative Harriet (Emily Blunt), Fred soon finds himself eventually swayed by the sheik’s infectious charm, warming to the plan and, of course, also eventually warming to Harriet.

Emily Blunt plays a consultant who falls for Dr. Jones in “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.” (CBS Films Inc.)

The sheik, charismatically played by Amr Waked (whom producer Paul Webster considers “the George Clooney of the Middle East,” according to the press notes), is a man of moral stature, a philosopher, and a keen observer of life. He ruminates, “Fishermen only care about patience, tolerance, and humility.” (Renowned fly-fishing author John Gierach would definitely have something hilarious to say about that.) But the sheik hopes that the Yemen locals will possibly benefit from such a mindset, since we see them forever patrolling about, brandishing AK-47s, and yelling a lot.

Harriet (Emily Blunt) and Fred (Ewan McGregor) starting to feel a spark, in the comedy-drama-romance “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.” (CBS Films Inc.)

The Power of Faith

The acting in the film is all-around stellar. It’s a cast of stars who excel at comedy as well as drama, and Amr Waked is a revelation.

Lasse Hallstrom, who’s helmed such films as “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” masterfully steers the subtle and very funny rhythms of European humor. He also engineers very moving dramatic scenes between the male and female leads, capitalizing on their powerful chemistry.

Emily Blunt and Ewan McGregor play a consultant and a fisheries expert who help realize a sheik’s vision of fly-fishing in the desert, in the comedy-drama-romance “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.” (CBS Films Inc.)

Hallstrom also underscores the film’s theme of the power of faith with various interchanges between no-faith Fred and the faithful sheik. Remember, this Fred we’re talking about is a secular guy, an atheist. He needs to take baby steps toward faith, and the sheik helps him do that. For example, Dr. Fred also loves fly-fishing, and the sheik points out, hilariously, that Fred’s fishing fun (standing in a stream for hours, waving a stick, with no guarantees) is not too terribly distant from ...  ahem ... faith?

Amr Waked (L) and Ewan McGregor discuss matters of faith, in “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.” (CBS Films Inc.)

Furthermore, there’s the example of the dilemma of stocking the salmon run with farmed fish, which most likely lack their original wild instinct to head upstream to spawn. Fred’s hunch that it’s still deeply in their nature to “run” is pointed out again as being closely related to faith.

Finally, the entire apparently cockamamie project is one huge act of faith—what else could it be? There are always setbacks, but one must demonstrate faith by persistence. At one point, the sheik wonders aloud, after a setback perpetrated by angry countrymen who don’t yet understand his vision, whether his project glorifies God or man.

We already know. We’ve seen the warmth of his hospitality, the depth of his philanthropy, the extent of his faith, and know his grand gesture to have enriched our lives. We know it by the laughter, tears, and the renewed faith in humanity’s goodness that we feel.

Harriet (Emily Blunt) and Fred (Ewan McGregor) observing a modern-day miracle of sorts, in “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen.” (CBS Films Inc.)

‘Salmon Fishing in the Yemen’ Director: Lasse Hallstrom Cast: Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, Kristin Scott Thomas, Amr Waked, Catherine Steadman, Tom Mison, Rachael Stirling, Tom Beard Running Time: 1 hour, 47 minutes Rating: PG-13 Release Date: April 20, 2012 (UK) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars