We first told you (very briefly) about Lasse Hallstrom’s Salmon Fishing in the Yemen with Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt when it played TIFF and we brought you the first trailer last month. Unless they’ve got me completely hoodwinked and all of the best bits are not only in the trailer but the trailer editor deserves an award, I think this will be not only charming, but possibly a thinking person’s “rom-com. This UK trailer provides everything you got in the US version, plus a bit more; more humor and of Amr Waked’s Sheikh.

The official synopsis: 

A romantic, contemporary fable, SALMON FISHING IN THE YEMEN is the tale of government employee Dr Alfred, or Fred, Jones (Ewan McGregor), a rather introverted scientist at the Department of Fisheries and Agriculture. Trudging along in his day job, with his marriage stagnating, his world is suddenly thrown into turmoil when he’s drawn into a scheme hatched by a fly fishing-obsessed Yemeni Sheikh (Amr Waked) who dreams of achieving the seemingly impossible — introducing salmon to the wadis of the Yemen.

When the British government, desperate for a good news story in the area, gets wind of the Sheikh’s plan, the Prime Minister’s fearsome spokesperson, Patricia Maxwell (Kristin Scott Thomas), seizes on the idea — it’s a good news story that will deflect attention away from the government’s latest blunder. She appoints Fred to oversee the project, which pleases him not at all. For a logical, rather stuffy scientist like Fred, the idea of introducing salmon to the Yemen is one step short of madness.

Fred, however, is eventually won over by the charismatic Sheikh and his mystical worldview, while he also begins to fall for the Sheikh’s representative, Harriet Chetwode-Talbot (Emily Blunt), a gentle and engaging English beauty who joins on him his journey into the Yemen. When Fred is drawn into helping Harriet try and fix the troubles in her life, he learns to cast off his deep-set cynicism. With Emily’s encouragement and support, Fred then rises to the Sheikh’s eccentric challenge, and embarks upon a journey of self-discovery and late-blooming love.

Blunt and McGregor have obvious chemistry, and the film appears to be infused with gentle humor. 

Director Hallstrom’s previous films include My Life as a Dog, Once Around, Something to Talk About, Cider House Rules and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, among many others, but this should give you an idea of what to expect. Personal idiosyncrasies and all of life’s variations are dealt with nimbly and empathetically.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen also stars Kristin Scott Thomas (lighter than she’s been in years) and Amr Waked. It will be released March 2 in the US and 9th March in the UK. 

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Lasse Hallstrom’s Salmon Fishing in the Yemen with Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt is a film I first heard about when it played the Toronto International Film Festival. I’d heard of it and that’s about it. For some reason I thought it was some dry political drama. Well, apparently I wasn’t paying attention, because boy was I wrong.  Take a look at this first trailer. Salmon Fishing in the Yemen looks completely charming.

A fisheries expert  (McGregor) is approached by a consultant (Blunt) 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.

What that synopsis can’t tell you about is the obvious chemistry between Blunt and McGregor and the gentle humor with which this film is infused. 

Director Hallstrom’s previous films include My Life as a Dog, Once Around (Holly Hunter was brilliant, no matter what anyone thought of the rest of the film), Something to Talk About, Cider House Rules and What’s Eating Gilbert Grape, among many others, but this should give you an idea of what to expect. He handles personal foibles and the vicissitudes of life with a deft touch.

Salmon Fishing in the Yemen also stars Kristin Scott Thomas (lighter than she’s been in years) and Amr Waked. It will be released March 2 in the US and 9th March in the UK. I don’t expect either  of those to be wide, so you’ll  have to look for it, I’m sure.

Jason Segel is adorable and talented. Anyone who didn’t love him after “Freaks and Geeks” probably developed a crush after Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The world has embraced him after he resurrected The Muppets for us all. I do believe that even if he didn’t have an appealing lead like Emily Blunt in Nicholas Stoller’s The Five Year Engagement, he could carry most of it alone. Luckily for him, and for us, he does.

Universal has released this synopsis: From the filmmakers that brought you Bridesmaids, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Knocked Up, THE FIVE-YEAR ENGAGEMENT takes a hilarious look at an engaged couple that keeps getting tripped up on their long walk down the aisle.  Directed by Nicholas Stoller and starring a beloved comedy cast that includes Jason Segel, Emily Blunt, Chris Pratt, Alison Brie and Rhys Ifans… this is an engagement you won’t want to miss.

Stoller and Segel co-wrote the screenplay of this one, just as they did for The Muppets. Stoller also gets points for that.

Not sure what Maxim-crowd favorite Alison Brie is doing with that British accent, but it is a comfort knowing that Chris Pratt is around to do his loveable doofus routine. In addition to Mindy Kaling, Chris Parnell and Kevin Hart, there are great (older) character actors surrounding the cute couple and their friends as well. Mimi Kennedy and David Paymer play Tom’s parents, Carol and Pete Solomon.  Violet Barnes’ parents are played by Jim Piddick as George and Jacki Weaver as Sylvia Dickerson-Barnes.  I have hope for this.

The Five Year Engagement opens in the US, Canada and the UK on April 27.

Jack Black, Emily Blunt, and Jason Segel gave the cameras a good time on the red carpet for 20th Century Fox’s Premiere of ‘Gulliver’s Travels‘ held at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Hollywood last night.

Emily Blunt Covers September’s Elle UK Magazine

Emily Blunt & John Krasinski Are Married

I am very anxious to see this one.  I loved the classic when I was a kid and this one, with Jack Black….. well, I adore him.  So for me, you just can’t go wrong.

In case you never saw this as a kid because you lived in a tiny bubble, here’s the low down:

In a contemporary re–imagining of the classic tale, Jack Black stars as Gulliver, a big–talking mailroom clerk who, after he’s mistakenly assigned a travel piece on the Bermuda Triangle, suddenly finds himself a giant among men when he washes ashore on the hidden island of Lilliput, home to a population of very tiny people. At first enslaved by the diminutive and industrious Liliputians, and later declared their hero, Gulliver comes to learn that it’s how big you are on the inside that counts.

I will definitely be watching this flick over Christmas break.  Merry Christmas!

Photos: FayesVision/WENN

Emily Blunt graces the cover of  September’s Elle Magazine UK edition (on stands August 4) where the shot and interview took place prior to her wedding to The Office’s John Krasinski:

On her new film ‘The Adjustment Bureau’ with Matt Damon:
Probably her most high-profile role to date, Blunt plays a dancer opposite Matt Damon. ‘I had to learn to do ballet for the role, which was terrifying – you can’t really get away with half-assing it,’ she says. ‘There’s something very exposing about dancing in front of people. It’s like asking someone to look you in the eye and sing without any sense of irony. It’s that embarrassing. She takes a long, indulgent drag of her (‘dangerously delicious’) Dr Funk. ‘This is my weekend of revenge on the diet I’ve had to be on for the re-shoots,’ she says. ‘Last night I had steamed pork buns that made me want to weep. I feel like I’m just emerging from a food coma.’ Damon, she adds, derived immense glee from not being the one having to do all of the rigorous bodywork for a film. ‘After Bourne and Invictus, he was like, “Just for once, I don’t have to go to the gym, so I’m going to eat burgers in front of you and you’re going to have to deal with it.’”

On her childhood stutter:
Growing up in the smart London suburb of Roehampton (her father an accomplished barrister; her mother a former actress), Blunt developed a stutter at the age of seven, which was ‘awful, absolutely awful’, she remembers. ‘You feel like there’s an imposter living inside of you who is misrepresenting who you really are. You don’t want to be accepted for being that person but at the same time you do, and you don’t want people to finish your sentences, yet you breathe a sigh of relief when someone does.’ She overcame it after a teacher suggested she try speaking in different accents for a drama class (‘I spoke fluidly for the first time in my life in some northern English accent, probably the hokiest you’ve ever heard’) – though she says she still gets caught out occasionally when making phone calls. ‘It’s very common for stutterers to not be able to say their own name, and when someone asks who’s calling, I’ll be like, “F***!”‘

On her wedding to “The Office” star John Krasinski:
She insists, however, that she did not spend the time planning her wedding to Krasinski, though the rumour mill maintains there will be confetti flying within the next few weeks. ‘Ha!’ she snorts at the question. ‘It’s not my style to be much of a planner, so I don’t even know really when it’s happening. I’m sure it’s going to be small, easy-going and last minute.’ She flashes a grin as bright as the platinum-and-gigantic-diamond ring on her left hand. ‘But you’ll see… soon!’

On airbrushing and dressing for the red carpet:
Blunt, it seems, does strive to keep it real. She’s not keen on too much airbrushing (‘I don’t like it when they stretch you out and make you all long and skinny. It makes you look like a Barbie. Who the hell looks like that?’) and though she likes fashion, remains somewhat wary. ‘I think I tend to dress quite hard. I’m definitely not a frilly girl and I don’t wear dresses that much,’ she says. She does employ a stylist, but insists that she makes the final decision: ‘When it’s a red carpet thing, I think it’s good to just go for it. Who cares if someone hates it? If I love something – if I think it’s edgy and cool – I don’t care what anyone else thinks.’

Emily Blunt and John Krasinski said their ‘I do’s’ at the Villa D’este in Como, Italy Saturday where George Clooney and his Italian girlfriend Elisabetta Canalis attended.  According to an insider:

It was an outdoor ceremony and absolutely beautiful.”

A rep for Krasinski confirmed to Usmagazine.com,

“John and Emily were married on Saturday in a private ceremony”

The two began their relationship in November of 2008 and became engaged in August of 2009.  Prior to John, Emily dated Michael Buble from 2005 until July 2008 where they ended their relationship.

Congratulations to the happy couple.

Photo:  FayesVision/WENN