Salmon Fishing in the Yemen - trailer review Directed by: Lasse Hallstrom Starring: Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, Kristen Scott Thomas Rating: unrated Release Date: March 9, 2011
TRAILER SCORE: 5/10
Thoughts by TSR:
I want to like this movie, if only because McGregor uses his (real) Scottish accent in the film. I like the cast, but the trailer itself hits every warning sign I know. There's a rich, quirky, eccentric who dreams of something ridiculous. We've got the reserved man who's awakening to love through trying something new. Titles on the screen highlight the positive qualities of the film (you will leave here feeling happy!) And the music, that horrible cloying music meant to give you no choice what to feel. Is that Coldplay? Regardless, it sounds like every one of their songs.
It also rubs me the wrong way when a film is billed as "from the director of" rather than their name. Especially since Lasse Hallstrom directed this and he's pretty well known. Lately he's had a slump but he's still well known as the director of The Cider House Rules and My Life as a Dog. I guess it's just their way of sounding like it's a DVD on Amazon, "If you liked Chocolat and Slumdog Millionnaire, you'll love the horribly titled Salmon Fishing in the Yemen." The title must be meant to evoke Trout Fishing in America, though I don't get what the two would have in common. (Though apparently it was based on a book of the same name.)