A fisheries expert is approached by a sheik to bring fly fishing to the desert. Based on the novel by Paul Torday. Starring Amr Waked, Emily Blunt, Catherine Steadman, Ewan McGregor, Kristin Scott Thomas.

This isn’t one of the better films I’ve seen.  The romance seemed so unlikely between Blunt and McGregor; their characters were completely mismatched, and they lacked chemistry.  For a movie about love and faith, the first element was definitely lacking.

As for the second,  the premise seemed to be that you must have faith to produce salmon in the desert. However, by the end of the film, I had nearly lost faith in this movie entirely. One scene just crushed me, the lines from it tearing my heart. The saddest exchange in the movie for me went: “I don’t believe I know anyone who still goes to church.” “I don’t either.” I felt like, what is the world coming to?   Where can you still find faith?  In salmon?  There is so much more, and I felt this film missed the mark- a very important one- in regards to faith.  Although I am very fond of Emily Blunt and Ewan McGregor, even they could not redeem this film for me.  The film itself wasn’t bad, but I could not enjoy it.  This time, I will let you decide whether or not to watch the movie.  Be sure to tell me what you think if you do.

Editor’s Note:  Unlike Laura, I found this movie to be whimsical and inspiring.  It is definitely quirky and the concept is unique; I thought it was beautifully imagined and filmed.  Of course, it didn’t hurt that a few of my favorite actors were in it (Blunt, McGregor, Thomas), and I thought they did a superb job in their roles.  It is at times abrupt and coarse, and at others languid and dreamlike, but each aspect fits the character or environment embodying it at the time.  I do agree with Laura about the emphasis on love and faith; however, I was thankful, rather than dismayed, at their take on faith, for at least it was represented in the film.  I appreciated their honesty about spiritual matters, and I felt it opened the door for people watching to explore the concept of faith further, which is an opportunity to find truth.  I would recommend this movie.