6.8/10
62,080
153 user 229 critic

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011)

Trailer
2:31 | Trailer
A fisheries expert is approached by a consultant to help realize a sheik's vision of bringing the sport of fly-fishing to the desert and embarks on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible possible.

Director:

Lasse Hallström

Writers:

Simon Beaufoy, Paul Torday (novel) | 1 more credit »
Nominated for 3 Golden Globes. Another 3 nominations. See more awards »

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Photos

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Amr Waked ... Sheikh Muhammed
Emily Blunt ... Harriet
Catherine Steadman ... Ashley
Tom Mison ... Capt. Robert Mayers
Ewan McGregor ... Dr. Alfred Jones
Rachael Stirling ... Mary Jones
Kristin Scott Thomas ... Patricia Maxwell
Tom Beard ... Peter Maxwell
Jill Baker ... Betty
Conleth Hill ... Bernard Sugden
Alex Taylor-McDowall ... Edward Maxwell
Matilda White Matilda White ... Abby Maxwell
Otto Farrant ... Joshua Maxwell
Hamish Gray ... Malcolm
Clive Wood ... Tom Price-Williams
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Storyline

Visionary Sheikh Muhammed bin Zaida bani Tihama (Amr Waked) believes his passion for the peaceful pastime of salmon fishing can enrich the lives of his people, and he dreams of bringing the sport to the not so fish-friendly desert. Willing to spare no expense, he instructs his representative to turn the dream into reality, an extraordinary feat that will require the involvement of Britain's leading fisheries expert, Dr. Alfred "Fred" Jones (Ewan McGregor), who happens to think the project both absurd and unachievable. That is, until the Prime Minister's overzealous press secretary, Patricia Maxwell (Dame Kristin Scott Thomas) latches on to it as a "good will" story. Now, this unlikely team will put it all on the line and embark on an upstream journey of faith and fish to prove the impossible, possible.

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

salmon | fishing | fish | desert | dam | See All (256) »

Taglines:

Make the impossible possible.

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Certificate:

PG | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

When rehearsing with an instrumental ensemble in the church, Mary Jones (Rachael Stirling) is playing the sackbut (a Baroque precursor to the trombone) and Dr. Alfred "Fred" Jones (Ewan McGregor) is playing a bass viol (a precursor to the cello). See more »

Goofs

The sheik's aircraft carries a Morocco tail id (CN) rather then the expected Yemen country code (7O). See more »

Quotes

Patricia Maxwell: There are 10,000 fish. If you can hook one of them then you can f/ck off back to transport.
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Alternate Versions

For the American theatrical release, references to the supermarket chain Tesco were dubbed over and replaced with Target. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Have I Got News for You: Episode #43.5 (2012) See more »

Soundtracks

Touch My Booty
Performed by Honeypot & VM
Written by Tom Sainty & Graeme Cohen
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User Reviews

 
Best Film at Toronto
17 September 2011 | by dhanson2kSee all my reviews

There's a line in the movie that goes, "We need a good story about the Middle East that doesn't have explosions." This is it! Hilarious and touching, Ewan, Emily, and Amr are fantastic. Ewan plays this homely, heads-down British government biologist to a T. Amr is a promising newcomer. And Emily is always amazing. I saw this at the opening in Toronto and the audience loved it. No wonder it was the first one sold at the festival. A big of an underdog, a lot of other people thought it was the best they saw too. Maybe they should change the name to something catchier. That's my only suggestion. I hope this changes how people view the middle east, even in a small way.


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook | Official site | See more »

Country:

UK

Language:

English | Arabic | Mandarin

Release Date:

20 April 2012 (UK) See more »

Also Known As:

Partie de pêche au Yémen See more »

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Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$225,894, 11 March 2012

Gross USA:

$9,047,981

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$34,564,651
See more on IMDbPro »

Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | Datasat | SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1
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