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SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMENMovie Reviews
Drama comedy about a fisheries expert who becomes involved with a zealous press secretary when he is recruited to bring fly-fishing to the Yemeni desert. Cast:Ewan McGregor, Emily Blunt, Kristin Scott Thomas, Amr WakedDirector:Lasse HallstromRelease Date:March 9, 2012DVD Release:July 17, 2012From:CBS FilmsRating:PG-13Length:1 hr 52 min
JULY 17, 2012
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen, Good Reviews Key Cities
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen played in key cities to good reviews. • Ann Hornaday wrote in the Washington Post, "...both twee and edgy... works a strange kind of wonder.... a study in diametric opposites that finds unexpected synchronies..." • And Alynda Wheat wrote in People, "How refreshing it is to walk out of a film as happy as you went in." More Reviews Below...
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen Positive Reviews (40 Reviews, reviews below)
Mary Pols, Time: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "...tart and amusing.... It's only when it takes an unfortunate wrong turn from playful wit into the dramatic and sentimental -- Hallström's speciality -- that it starts to unravel."(See all of Mary Pols's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 529 words, 03/09/12
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: VERY GOOD(cg) "...takes us back to the sort of achingly civilized love story in which the only thing that really stands in the way of two people falling for each other is their own decorum."(See all of Owen Gleiberman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 236 words, 03/09/12
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a rich subject for satire and sticking it to political bureaucracy.... In the Dead Sea of Hollywood formula, a distinct delight, brimming over with spirit and surprise."(See all of Peter Travers's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 218 words, 03/02/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the director is the Swede Lasse Hallstrom ('Chocolat'), who sees the film as a heart-warming romance and doesn't take advantage of the rich eccentricity in the story."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 695 words, 03/09/12
James Rocchi, MSN Movies: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...three sub-stories, adapted from Paul Torday's novel by screenwriter Simon Beaufoy, come together to make a whole that's a little less than the sum of its parts."(See all of James Rocchi's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 653 words, 03/06/12
James Berardinelli, Reel Views: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a nicely crafted love story, some beautifully photographed establishing shots, and an ending that is satisfying in an old-fashioned kind of way... a pleasant diversion."(See all of James Berardinelli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 705 words, 03/06/12
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NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES/CHICAGO/TORONTO (12 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Mr. Hallstrom and the screenwriter Simon Beaufoy have transformed Paul Torday's absurdist political satire into a whimsical romantic comedy.... turning salt into sugar."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 755 words, 03/09/12
Joe Neumaier, New York Daily News: WEAK(cg) "The cast gives it all a good go, and pip-pip and all that for noticeable intelligence and a bit of the old British satire. Yet the film takes patience and rewards with no bite."(See all of Joe Neumaier's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 204 words, 03/09/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...has a grand cast... a very clever tale of modern eco-issues intertwined with old-style political intrigues and New Age romance."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 312 words, 09/13/11
Lou Lumenick, New York Post: VERY GOOD(cg) "...isn't as sharply satirical as the epistolary Paul Torday novel... But trust me: These are characters with whom it's a pleasure to spend a couple of hours."(See all of Lou Lumenick's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 386 words, 03/09/12
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "Aggressively pleasant.... There's a great romantic comedy in this material, somewhere, which is too bad, because the movie that did get made is decent if a bit bland."(See all of Michael Phillips's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 362 words, 03/09/12
John Anderson, New York Newsday: WEAK(cg) "...has its charms -- Blunt, mostly, and McGregor, who turns in a wonderful performance. But the film goes belly up early... feels like a lot of swimming upstream."(See all of John Anderson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 363 words, 03/16/12
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...the director is the Swede Lasse Hallstrom ('Chocolat'), who sees the film as a heart-warming romance and doesn't take advantage of the rich eccentricity in the story."(See all of Roger Ebert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 695 words, 03/09/12
Mark Holcomb, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...sacrifices the political satire and epistolary structure of Paul Torday's source novel in favor of cute, if strained, rom-com shenanigans."(See all of Mark Holcomb's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 213 words, 03/07/12
Greg Quill, Toronto Star: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...feel-good director Lasse Hallstrom reels in a two-sided fish-out-of-water -- pun intended -- rom-com with no bite, odour or aftertaste."(See all of Greg Quill's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 407 words, 03/09/12
Rick Groen, Toronto Globe & Mail: VERY GOOD(cg) "Make the leap, and you'll be delighted by a movie that's sugary goodness, a guilty pleasure. Don't, and you'll gag on a film that's cloyingly saccharine."(See all of Rick Groen's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 667 words, 03/09/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "Whimsy and geopolitical metaphor collide and then wobble away dazed in this light comedy... There's broad-strokes storytelling, but this is just silly."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 141 words, 03/08/12
KEY CITIES (11 Reviews)
Ann Hornaday, Washington Post: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...both twee and edgy... works a strange kind of wonder.... a study in diametric opposites that finds unexpected synchronies..."(See all of Ann Hornaday's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 507 words, 03/09/12
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer: VERY GOOD(cg) "It is what it is, and if you find McGregor and Blunt appealing, the movie will have you feeling similarly about it."(See all of Steven Rea's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 465 words, 03/09/12
Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star-Tribune: VERY GOOD(cg) "...fritters away the comic momentum of its madcap opening chapters... a pleasant diversion if you can look below the surface and muster the patience to appreciate it."(See all of Colin Covert's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 418 words, 03/23/12
Wesley Morris, Boston Globe: MODERATE(cg) "...escapist.... proudly, it has no conviction to offer, just the comforts of its genericness. Director Lasse Hallström knows where some of us want to live."(See all of Wesley Morris's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 676 words, 03/09/12
Amy Biancolli, San Francisco Chronicle: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a gentle comic drama... makes use of pink-fleshed vertebrates as the inspiration for sweet romantic musings on love and life, faith and patience..."(See all of Amy Biancolli's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 287 words, 03/09/12
Shawn Levy, Portland Oregonian: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "A tepid tale of romance between man and fish, man and sheik, and man and woman... There are a few buoyant moments, but the whole is drab, pandering and predictable."(See all of Shawn Levy's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 225 words, 02/09/12
Calvin Wilson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch: VERY GOOD(cg) "...a quirky comedy about the ways in which big plans can lead to big problems, but also result in outcomes that no one could possibly have anticipated."(See all of Calvin Wilson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 322 words, 03/23/12
Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "The film's tone is pleasantly comic... not a bad movie -- everybody wants dreams to come true -- but its platitudes sound awfully hollow sometimes."(See all of Connie Ogle's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 481 words, 03/30/12
ALTERNATIVE/INDIE PRESS (9 Reviews)
Mark Holcomb, Village Voice/LA Weekly: MODERATE "...sacrifices the political satire and epistolary structure of Paul Torday's source novel in favor of cute, if strained, rom-com shenanigans."(See all of Mark Holcomb's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 213 words, 03/07/12
Katey Rich, Cinema Blend: GOOD (NOT GREAT)(cg) "...feels like a pleasant throwback. With plot twists that are hard to swallow and a general aversion to any real conflict, it's a movie with a flow that's easy to slip into..."(See all of Katey Rich's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 536 words, 03/09/12
Betsy Sherman, Boston Phoenix: VERY GOOD(cg) "The science -- and the politics -- may be dodgy, but director Lasse Hallström crafts a witty, richly textured modern fairy tale that's an irresistible lure."(See all of Betsy Sherman's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 159 words, 03/08/12
Keith Phipps, AV Club: MODERATE(cg) "Director Lasse Hallström ('My Life As A Dog,' 'The Cider House Rules') is reliably tasteful, but he doesn't bring any sort of urgency or personality to the material."(See all of Keith Phipps's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 511 words, 03/08/12
Michelle Orange, Movieline: VERY GOOD(cg) "Often the effect of Simon Beaufoy's script is refreshing, due in no small part to the congenital irresistibility of the actors speaking his lines."(See all of Michelle Orange's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 710 words, 03/08/12
Bill Weber, Slant: POOR(cg) "...so fatally mild and uncertain that it's impossible to know whether the rod-and-reel foiling of a murder was meant as a gag or derring-do."(See all of Bill Weber's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 368 words, 03/09/12
Norman Wilner, Toronto Now: WEAK(cg) "Whimsy and geopolitical metaphor collide and then wobble away dazed in this light comedy... There's broad-strokes storytelling, but this is just silly."(See all of Norman Wilner's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 141 words, 03/08/12
MaryAnn Johanson, Flick Filosopher: OUTSTANDING(cg) "There are, wonderfully, no foregone conclusions to be found in this charming and cheeky film... a hugely rewarding tale of dreaming big, building big, and living big."(See all of MaryAnn Johanson's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 331 words, 04/25/12
HIGHBROW PRESS (3 Reviews)
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Mr. Hallstrom and the screenwriter Simon Beaufoy have transformed Paul Torday's absurdist political satire into a whimsical romantic comedy.... turning salt into sugar."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 755 words, 03/09/12
Ella Taylor, NPR: GOOD "...the crisply sweet banter and the halting intimacy that grows between two shy people with a common goal more than make up for a wildly implausible plot."(See all of Ella Taylor's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 613 words, 03/08/12
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...has a grand cast... a very clever tale of modern eco-issues intertwined with old-style political intrigues and New Age romance."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 312 words, 09/13/11
MOVIE INDUSTRY (4 Reviews)
Peter Debruge, Daily Variety: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Lasse Hallstrom has sweetened the satire right out of Paul Torday's side-splitting political sendup... Hallstrom's not about to get all philosophical now."(See all of Peter Debruge's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 922 words, 09/11/11
Betsy Sharkey, Los Angeles Times: VERY GOOD "...has a grand cast... a very clever tale of modern eco-issues intertwined with old-style political intrigues and New Age romance."(See all of Betsy Sharkey's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 312 words, 09/13/11
Stephen Holden, New York Times: GOOD (NOT GREAT) "Mr. Hallstrom and the screenwriter Simon Beaufoy have transformed Paul Torday's absurdist political satire into a whimsical romantic comedy.... turning salt into sugar."(See all of Stephen Holden's reviews...)(Read the full review...) 755 words, 03/09/12
15.8 Percentage Points Average Difference Between Reviews (Norm is 18.4pp; <18.4pp = More Consistent; >18.4pp = More Mixed)
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen's reviews are separated by an average 15.8 percentage points. The norm for this measure is 18.4 percentage points. Less than 18.4 indicates more consistent reviews; greater than 18.4 indicates more mixed reviews. In the chart below, each dot represents a review, with the dots at the top more positive than the dots at the bottom. From left to right, the dots represent reviews in big, bigger and biggest publications. Roll over each dot for more detail.
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (40 reviews) Roll over dots for each review
Coverage:Salmon Fishing in the Yemen's reviews cover 80.0% of potential readers (average is 67.9%). Volume:The film's reviews total 16,935 words involume (average is 20,194 words). Length:The film's reviews average 423 words in length (the norm is 517 words).
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen Coverage, Volume & Length (40 Reviews, reviews below)
Reviews Broke 5 Days Before Release (Norm is 1.2 Release)
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen's reviews on average broke 5 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 1.2 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Salmon Fishing in the Yemen's opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (40 reviews, click on bars for reviews)
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