Is there anything Ewan McGregor can’t do?
Let me say up front and I am not ashamed to admit it but as an actor, I love Ewan McGregor. I see pretty much everything he is in, unless it is rated “R” or has a sad ending, like Moulin Rouge! So, you have to trust me that his new movie “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” is worth going to, even if you don’t like him as much as I do. It was the funniest movies I have seen in quite a while. It is based on the novel of the same name, written by Paul Torday.
It takes place in London; where Harriet (Emily Blunt), an investment professional, is assigned to help a sheikh from Yemen, find the help he needs to bring the hobby of salmon fishing to his country of Yemen.
Sheikh Muhammed, played wonderfully by Amr Waked, has a desire to help is country and he sees this project as a way to do this. He contacts his investment firm and they contact the top man in England, Dr. Alfred “Fred” Jones (McGregor), who is over all the fisheries in the country, and an expert salmon fisherman, to help with this project.
At first, Fred treats this request as a joke, knowing it is impossible to do but when his boos gets a “request” from the Prime Ministers PR person; he is forced to agree to see if it is feasible. The PM’s PR person, Patricia Maxwell, is played by the wonderful actress Kristin Scott Thomas.
As much as I love McGregor, and Blunt, Kristin Scott Thomas steals every scene she is in! She is hilarious. I have seen her in a few comedies but she is always the “straight” man without the lines but she has all the zingers in this movie.
The story itself is great but the politics are the best part of this movie.
As Dr. Jones is forced into investigating the possibilities of this really happening, his weak marriage crumbles more as his wife moves to Switzerland for a job opportunity so he puts his all into having this project work and as he does, he becomes more excited about the realization of the sheikh’s dream.
There is romance, comedy, suspense, and some tender moments that even brought tears to my eyes. The scenery is also beautiful! Besides being filmed in London, it was also filmed in Scotland, and Morocco (filled in for Yemen).
It is a story of having faith in the impossible, and it delivers the entertainment 100%. Try to find it in your area, and if not, get it in your favorite movie queue asap! 
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