Blogfromthebarn

Salmon fishing in the Yemen, Crazy title, sane film

It's rare for me to warm to a film when I've enjoyed the  book, I've never truly forgiven Disney for bastardising the Jungle Book, replacing Kipling's moving, realistic view of Jungle life with a jazz-based, primary-coloured travesty, a spectacle of cartoon folly. Deep breath.    move on...

 I was a little nonplussed to find myself en-route to see this movie, Salmon fishing in the Yemen. I'd read the book, a popular, political, satirical but (I think unexciting) tale but was, somehow, unaware of the film. I was therefore a little disorientated to find myself in an unlikeable Spanish restaurant, really not enjoying a very poorly cooked piece of chicken with some dear chums listening to Mrs Stuffy expounding on my keenness to see this movie.

Still "a closed mouth gathers no feet", I kept my peace and we trooped off to the movie house. 


In an age of blockbusters and huge scenes and big emotions and world shaking events and bigger and brasher and better, I'd forgotten how nice it can be to sit and enjoy a well-crafted tale, with well-written dialogue, well-acted by likeable characters doing believable things and having understandable relationships.


This is a fine film, the leads Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt are engaging, the Sheik, Amr Waked, is lovely, Kristin Scott-Thomas is a delicious caricature of a spin doctor. It's hard for me to criticise, it doesn't try and shake the world, it tells a nice story, well, and I'd forgotten how hard that is to do. But if you fancy a people sized story with human emotions and some chuckles, you will, as I did, really enjoy this one.

Mrs Stuffy, (for those who use the MrS-S-Sleepometer as the definitive movie monitor) remained upright and non-somnolent throughout.




A decent tale of
Decent folk, with wry smiles
Doing decent things


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posted by Stuffy @ 12:41 pm