Regie:
Lasse HallströmDrehbuch:
Simon BeaufoyKamera:
Terry StaceyMusik:
Dario MarianelliBesetzung:
Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, Amr Waked, Kristin Scott Thomas, Catherine Steadman, Tom Mison, Rachael Stirling, Tom Beard, Jill Baker, Conleth Hill (mehr)Streaming (4)
Inhalte(1)
Scheich Muhammad will mitten im Wüstenstaat Jemen nach Lachsen fischen. Er schickt seine Beraterin, die Anwältin Harriet Chetwode-Talbot, nach London, um die Sache zu regeln. Dort soll sie mit dem Fischzucht-Experten Dr. Alfred Jones Kontakt aufnehmen. Dieser hält die Idee zunächst für Unfug, mit ihrem Charme gelingt es Harriet aber, ihn zu dem bizarren Abenteuer zu überreden. Während sich das absurde Vorhaben zum britischen Staatsinteresse ersten Ranges entwickelt, funkt es zwischen Harriet und Alfred gewaltig. (ORF)
(mehr)Kritiken (7)
Fewer minutes, less of the rich, kind sheik, less “lemonade" during the salmon finale, but on the other hand greater portions of the perfect bureaucratic satire (and why not just a straight comedy à la Yes, (Prime) Minister for the Kristin Scott Thomas/Conleth Hill) duo... That would have helped Hallström from falling into the “pleasant, but utterly humdrum" category. P.S.: McGregor is wrongly type-cast in his role; does anybody (women) find his boring, hen-pecked, dry pen-pusher act convincing? It’s like having Halle Berry play Precious.
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Eine tödliche Kombination aus Anglerphilosophie, Lifestyle-Mystik, Werbekitsch und großartigen Schauspielern. Übrigens ein weiterer Film, der auf einer Prämisse aufbaut und diese in Anbetracht seines Wesens leugnet (hieraus wird bereits eine recht schönen Tradition). Lachs ist ein stromaufwärts ziehender Fisch. Hier haben wir´s jedoch mit einem fettleibigen Karpfen aus einem Teich zu tun. Und der fängt vom Kopf an übel zu riechen.
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Hätte der Film das gleiche Ende wie die Buchvorlage gehabt, in der manche Figuren nicht überleben und die romantische Linie ganz anders verläuft, hätte ich nicht gezögert, dem Werk einen fünften Stern zu geben. Trotzdem habe ich Lachsfischen im Jemen sehr genossen, vor allem dank der hervorragenden Besetzung – dank des sympathischen Ewan McGregor, der schönen Emily Blunt, der super unterhaltsamen Kristin Scott Thomas in der Rolle von Humphrey Appleby in Röcken (übrigens – diese Figur ist in der Buchvorlage ein ziemlich schleimiger Mann) und der beispielhaft angenehmen Stimmung.
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I’ve recently seen a similarly goofy movie, though a little less well-known than this one. It was called Flicker. Like Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, it was absurd and it was very nice to look at. In the same way, however, I couldn’t get over the absurdity and somehow couldn’t get rid of the impression that even though the idea is pleasant, the execution is very nice and the actors play brilliantly, I’ll probably never watch this film again and it won’t bother me at all.
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I will give it three feeble stars, but the project needed a different approach and a different director. The subject matter directly called for a satire and ironic comedy genre, but Lasse Hallström is by nature a poet and romantic, so despite his undeniable directorial qualities, it ultimately feels barren. The solid cast is also not properly utilized due to the problematic screenplay. Overall impression: 50%.
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Salmon Fishing in the Yemen has both screenplay and actors to support it. McGregor is right on the border between nice guy and eccentric jerk and he and Blunt work nicely together. The A-grade cutting British humor and the absurdity of the whole idea becomes much more serious towards the end. Hallström serves us on a silver platter not just salmon, but also one of the most pleasant romantic comedies of the past few years.
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Honestly, if it weren't for the always coolly beautiful Emily Blunt in the lead role and Lasse Hallström in the director's chair, I probably wouldn't have cared about Salmon Fishing in the Yemen in the slightest. It's a bare fact that Hallström has long since ceased to be what he used to be and he's undeniably past his prime (I'd bet my apartment that he will go to his grave before he ever makes anything better than Gilbert Grape). But here, quite exceptionally, he scored and gave rise to an enjoyable story that works quite well as a relatively tasteful romance. I don't know if it was the intention of the filmmakers to show that apart from the fanatical Arabs there are also nice ones with ambitions to build lakes for catching salmon in the middle of the desert, but the fact is that the character of the sheikh is actually quite appealing (in the film, of course; in real life, however...). Partly a kind of clumsy political satire, partly a bit of philosophy about finding oneself, and a bit of an attempt at the agitprop that there are good Arabs too. But without the politics, it works best as a slightly romantic drama.
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