The latest heart-warmingly comedic effort from the largely unknown but quite prolific Swedish director Lasse Hallström is one of those unusual films that we choose to classify as comedies, but are actually very pensive, emotional dramas with the odd subtle serving of humour, and the occasional well-earned wacky laugh-out-loud moment. Although these are arguably not as indulgently entertaining as those bombastic screwball comedies, they are in the long run far more satisfying because they contain more than just an impulsive frivolous momentum of silliness. Having said that, the characters and narrative on offer here don't always carry a watertight dramatic, but they never completely lose hold of your interest and it helps to see this film with a sizeable audience, as the crowd's empathy for what plays out on screen is infectious.
The key personal human element of the story is the charmingly friendly relationship between enthusiastic fisheries expert Dr Albert Jones (Ewan McGregor) and his colleague Harriet (Emily Blunt) who ropes him into the seemingly impossible project of introducing the sport of salmon fishing to the very arid desert regions of the Yemen, on the request of a very optimistic and eloquent Sheik (Amr Waked). Harriet is convinced that their immense undertaking will eventually be successful, but Albert insists that he is too scientific to believe that such a thing is practically possible. It takes quite a while for the pair to get along, given his rather standoffish nature, leading to Harriet making a frustrated comparison between him and those with Asperger's Syndrome. Although he is a far cry away from having that condition, he is certainly puzzled by Harriet's frequent offers of friendship. He also with comforting her after her dashing boyfriend Robert (Tom Mison), the main entity keeping the relationship a tame platonic friendship, is sent off to fight in Afghanistan.
The events that unfold from this love triangle will hardly surprise any audience member with even the smallest exposure to love stories, and the fate of the project follows exactly the same narrative formula employed by most animated family comedies. The main point of interest is the left-field premise of fly-fishing, which is handled so well that if ever one questions the level of excitement that can be derived from a film about marine agriculture, the enchantment is soon replenished by its insightful philosophical comparisons with religious faith.
The two leads perform admirably and convincingly with the occasionally trite but mostly astute dialogue from Simon Beaufoy, adapted from Paul Torday's original novel, however it is the divine Kristin Scott Thomas who ultimately steals the show. Her character of a ruthlessly shallow press secretary to the Prime Minister, who is in full support of this project as a more cheerful Afghanistan news story, is not terribly essential to the story, and so has been sidelined in my earlier plot description, but she is a great asset to the film's entertainment value. Even though critics are constantly praising her performances in serious, dramatic roles, she is much more dynamic in her comedic outings as deliciously nasty matriarchs. Also noteworthy is an equally vicious characterisation from Rachael Stirling as Albert's classically unlikeable wife, with a much less playful tone.
Although it is a less effective and hard-hitting directorial effort from Hallström than Chocolat (2000) and What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), and the fact that, aside from Scott Thomas, nothing else is really deserving award recognition, but it does make for very memorable and pleasurable viewing.
The key personal human element of the story is the charmingly friendly relationship between enthusiastic fisheries expert Dr Albert Jones (Ewan McGregor) and his colleague Harriet (Emily Blunt) who ropes him into the seemingly impossible project of introducing the sport of salmon fishing to the very arid desert regions of the Yemen, on the request of a very optimistic and eloquent Sheik (Amr Waked). Harriet is convinced that their immense undertaking will eventually be successful, but Albert insists that he is too scientific to believe that such a thing is practically possible. It takes quite a while for the pair to get along, given his rather standoffish nature, leading to Harriet making a frustrated comparison between him and those with Asperger's Syndrome. Although he is a far cry away from having that condition, he is certainly puzzled by Harriet's frequent offers of friendship. He also with comforting her after her dashing boyfriend Robert (Tom Mison), the main entity keeping the relationship a tame platonic friendship, is sent off to fight in Afghanistan.
The events that unfold from this love triangle will hardly surprise any audience member with even the smallest exposure to love stories, and the fate of the project follows exactly the same narrative formula employed by most animated family comedies. The main point of interest is the left-field premise of fly-fishing, which is handled so well that if ever one questions the level of excitement that can be derived from a film about marine agriculture, the enchantment is soon replenished by its insightful philosophical comparisons with religious faith.
The two leads perform admirably and convincingly with the occasionally trite but mostly astute dialogue from Simon Beaufoy, adapted from Paul Torday's original novel, however it is the divine Kristin Scott Thomas who ultimately steals the show. Her character of a ruthlessly shallow press secretary to the Prime Minister, who is in full support of this project as a more cheerful Afghanistan news story, is not terribly essential to the story, and so has been sidelined in my earlier plot description, but she is a great asset to the film's entertainment value. Even though critics are constantly praising her performances in serious, dramatic roles, she is much more dynamic in her comedic outings as deliciously nasty matriarchs. Also noteworthy is an equally vicious characterisation from Rachael Stirling as Albert's classically unlikeable wife, with a much less playful tone.
Although it is a less effective and hard-hitting directorial effort from Hallström than Chocolat (2000) and What's Eating Gilbert Grape (1993), and the fact that, aside from Scott Thomas, nothing else is really deserving award recognition, but it does make for very memorable and pleasurable viewing.