Film Reviews: “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen”

September 12, 2011 By: Marshall Cutchin

Now appearing at the 36th Toronto International Film Festival, which runs September 8 to 18, 2011, “Salmon Fishing in the Yemen” is an adaptation of Paul Torday’s 2008 bookof the same name.  The book and film tell the tale of a stuffy British fisheries scientist tasked by a fishing-obsessed Arab sheik to introduce British salmon to the wadis of Yemen.

Constance Droganes of CTV News says: “This adaptation penned by ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ screenwriter Simon Beaufoy also has a charm that compels audiences to believe in the unbelievable.

Matt Goldberg of Collider.com gives it a B-: “It’s a shame to see such haphazard work in a script that’s smart enough to delve into the mechanics and spirit of a hobby as dull as fishing and make it absolutely fascinating.  Salmon Fishing in the Yemen does so much right for its first two-thirds that we’re able to accept its stumbling finish.”

The Guardian‘s Catherine Shoard says “this isn’t half as gooey as one might expect, and its standing ovation at Toronto suggests that even if some Brits find the whole thing a bit rich, the export market looks likely to lap it up.”

Video: Tribute.ca interviews director Lasse Hallström, who calls this his best work.