Showing @ Cameo Cinema, Edinburgh until Thu 26 Apr

Lasse Hallström / UK / 2011 / 107 min

Have you ever not known what to make for dinner, thrown an “eclectic” mix of ingredients together and waited anxiously to find out how edible it is? The duration of Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is spent impatiently waiting for an unlikely combination of elements to come together and make a happy ending. And while it does, there is a distinct aftertaste suggesting that maybe it could have been better.

From the outset, we are presented with one mega-rich Sheik (Amr Waked) who wants to introduce salmon fishing in the Yemen (shock title). For those who may not know, that is a near-impossible task. Investment fund manager, Harriet Chetwode-Talbot (Emily Blunt) and fishing-guru Dr. Jones (Ewan McGregor) are brought in to realise this dream after an incident in the Middle East sparks government interest.

Director Lasse Hallström (Chocolat) and screenwriter Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire) have transposed Paul Torday’s book to the screen, and in many ways, it’s a far cry from the usual Hollywood adaptations. Kristin Scott-Thomas’s Press Officer to the Prime Minister, albeit at times ridiculous, is a quirky satire of media manipulating spin doctors. Her extrovert performance contrasts with McGregor’s quiet and awkward character, and Blunt’s subtly bright and beautiful career-woman. The politics are played down, favoured by the unlikely romance and the underlying “have faith and it’ll all work out” theme. This is perhaps where the film falters; it lacks the gumption to follow through with criticism of foreign policy, environmental regulation, and the (lacking) creation of sustainable enterprises in developing countries. The fact that the Sheik is suspected of having an ulterior motive suggests more about Western attitudes to economic development and financial investment than anything else. The story incorporates a number of complex ideas, and while the film is an enjoyable and spirit-lifting piece of cinema, you might just get more out of reading the book.