Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

IMDB
First time viewed: Yes
Current Release: Yes
Watched With: Myself

I've missed Lasse Hallström's last two films but it's clear he hasn't lost his sentimental touch. You can see all the beats laid out in the trailer, the only thing it doesn't give you is the mandatory 3rd act couple split up instigator. In the actual film you can see it coming a mile away, even though it's pretty ridiculous and I was hoping they'd find another way. Oh and there's some assassination attempts.

The darker stuff is very much whitewashed over though to create a perfectly palatable film. And it is pretty enjoyable. Kristin Scott Thomas gets the bulk of the laughs as the press secretary. Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt are both lovely and it's nice to hear McGregor's natural accent for a change.

I don't know why but I seemed to object to the need for make the Sheikh some kind of exotic wise mystic with worldy advice for our couple. It seems Arabs portrayed in films can only either be terrorists or magical enlightened gurus.

Well, the audience was primarily of the older demographic and they all seemed to thoroughly enjoy it. I thought it was okay.