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Salmon Fishing in the Yemen Review

Release Date: Mar 09, 2012
Rated: Brief Language, Some Violence and Sexual Content
Runtime: 1 hr. 51 min.
Genres: Art House/Foreign, Drama, Romance
Director:Lasse Hallström
Cast:Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, Kristin Scott Thomas, Amr Waked, Tom Mison. Full cast + crew

Movies.com Critics

2.5

Dave White Profile <h3>Dave White</h3> <p><strong>Your Movies.com Man at the Multiplex</strong></p> <br /> <p>Dave White's first movie review was of the animated feature Snoopy Come Home. He was seven years old...<a href="http://www.movies.com/movie-reviews/dave-white">Read full profile</a></p>

Full of Omega 3. Read full review

3.0

Grae Drake Profile <h3>Grae Drake</h3> <p><strong>Movie maven about town</strong></p> <br /> <p>Grae Drake began her love affair with cinema as a wee bairn, as she spent every weekend corralling her friends over to the local...<a href="http://www.movies.com/movie-reviews/grae-drake">Read full profile</a></p>

Kicking Bass and Taking Names Read full review

Other Critics provided by Metacritic.com

Critics scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating more favorable reviews.

3.0

58

out of 100

Metascore^®
Mixed or average reviews
based on a weighted average of all
critic review scores.
50

out of 100

The Hollywood Reporter
The movie has a hard time wrapping up its love story without feeling forced, however game the cast. Viewers won't be able to say they weren't given what they came for, but they might feel unsatisfied all the same.

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75

out of 100

Entertainment Weekly Owen Gleiberman
You can have a reasonably nice time at Salmon Fishing in the Yemen if you accept that it's the tidiest movie imaginable to ever say that falling in love is like swimming upstream.

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75

out of 100

USA Today Scott Bowles
The side story about Muslim extremists is a little ham-handed for a film that otherwise exercises such restraint.

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See all Salmon Fishing in the Yemen reviews at Metacritic.com

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For Families provided by Common Sense Media

OK for kids 13+

Quirky romance mixes politics, charm; fine for teens.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Salmon Fishing in the Yemen is a quirky romance with a mish-mash of themes that includes love, international relations, faith, war, marital infidelity, and fishing. Overall the movie has a genteel feel, and though there's some salty language (including "ass," "bastard, and one use of "f--k"), it's not excessive. Expect some kissing and a couple of love scenes that imply sex, though there's no graphic nudity. There's also some social drinking and smoking, and use of a gun by an attempted assassin.

Families can talk about Salmon Fishing in the Yemen's messages. What do you think it wants audiences to take away from watching? Does all entertainment need to have a message?
What makes Harriet's and Fred's romance different or similar to that of other movie couples? Did either of them do anything wrong? Why did they hesitate?

The good stuff

Messages: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen's messages are about the importance of peace, patience, tolerance, humility, and faith.
Role models: Alfred and Harriet are as different, in both personality and disposition, as two people can be. But in working toward a common goal, they discover much to appreciate in each other. They're both clear about not wanting to be hurtful of others and are quite respectful of their complicated individual situations.

What to watch for

Violence: An assassin attempts to kill one of the characters with a gun; later, a dam is destroyed.
Sex: A woman takes off her pants and joins her boyfriend in bed (they're mostly shown cuddling). Earlier, they're seen kissing. Another couple is shown just finishing having sex (no nudity).
Language: "F--k" is shown typed on a computer, with asterisks in place of most of the letters; later, a mother says the word while speaking to her teenage son. Also occasional use of words including "bloody hell," "bastard," "ass," "damn," "oh my God, " "goddamn," and "bollocks."
Consumerism: Mention of Target and the names of a few fishing magazines.
Drinking, drugs and smoking: Some social drinking. One character smokes cigarettes.

Common Sense Media

An independent nonprofit dedicated to providing families the information they need to help kids thrive in a world of media and technology.