If you want just one reason to go see this movie, how about this one: Kristin Scott-Thomas is absolutely marvelous in it. She plays the press secretary of the British prime minister, a ruthless bitch no-one dares to disagree with. Not even her own boss. Who would have thought Kristin Scott-Thomas could actually pull off a really sharp, funny role like this one? The scenes with her on screen are easily the best parts of the movie.
That doesn't mean the rest of the cast is substandard. Ewan MacGregor does a nice job as a Scottish stiff-upper-lipped gentleman who only drinks alcohol in weekends after 7 pm. Emily Blunt was a little bit less convincing as MacGregor's predictable love-interest, the 'short- skirted office girl' who turns out to be an efficient project manager. I would have loved to see someone like Carey Mulligan or Kelly Macdonald in this role, just to give it a bit more character.
The movie itself is quirky, witty, entertaining - a prime example of an intelligent satirical comedy only the British seem to make well. (Yes, I know director Lasse Hallström is Swedish). The story is bizarre: a rich sheik asks the help of British experts to introduce salmon in a Yemenite river. A completely crackpot project, that becomes more and more feasible as the movie develops.
The first part of the movie is the best, with funny situations and sharp dialogues. Towards the end, the movie loses its mildly surreal character and becomes an ordinary feel-good movie. (For those who have already seen it: I would have expected Emily Blunt's boyfriend, who miraculously survived Afghanistan, to die in some weird or banal accident, but it didn't happen).
For fans of Scott-Thomas, this is a must-see. For all others, it's a nice way to spend an evening.
That doesn't mean the rest of the cast is substandard. Ewan MacGregor does a nice job as a Scottish stiff-upper-lipped gentleman who only drinks alcohol in weekends after 7 pm. Emily Blunt was a little bit less convincing as MacGregor's predictable love-interest, the 'short- skirted office girl' who turns out to be an efficient project manager. I would have loved to see someone like Carey Mulligan or Kelly Macdonald in this role, just to give it a bit more character.
The movie itself is quirky, witty, entertaining - a prime example of an intelligent satirical comedy only the British seem to make well. (Yes, I know director Lasse Hallström is Swedish). The story is bizarre: a rich sheik asks the help of British experts to introduce salmon in a Yemenite river. A completely crackpot project, that becomes more and more feasible as the movie develops.
The first part of the movie is the best, with funny situations and sharp dialogues. Towards the end, the movie loses its mildly surreal character and becomes an ordinary feel-good movie. (For those who have already seen it: I would have expected Emily Blunt's boyfriend, who miraculously survived Afghanistan, to die in some weird or banal accident, but it didn't happen).
For fans of Scott-Thomas, this is a must-see. For all others, it's a nice way to spend an evening.