Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (2011, dir. Lasse Hallstrom) ***/****

Lasse Hallstrom's Salmon Fishing in the Yemen tells a story of a fisheries expert who is approached by a consultant to realize a sheik's dream of bringing fly-fishing to a desert in the Yemen.  This is a fairly quirky tale as you can tell by this description but the screenplay is witty enough and the characters are compelling enough to make the viewer believe in it and enjoy it as it unfolds.  Ewan MacGregor, Emily Blunt and Kristin Scott Thomas are among the principle players and they all do a wonderful job of bringing heart and soul to a movie that you wouldn't expect to like.  There are some genuinely funny moments in this movie there are also moments of suspense.  I saw this film as part of a Film series at Shaw Festival and the audience applauded when the movie ended.  It has real wit and charm.