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The Middle East is an unlikely setting for romance in the quirky fishing comedy Salmon Fishing in the Yemen directed by Lasse Hallström. Strong performances from the all-star cast help the film overcome its moments of weakness, resulting in an often funny but convoluted romantic comedy.

Dr. Alfred “Fred” Jones (Ewan McGregor) is a cocky fisheries scientist approached by representative Harriet Chetwode-Talbot (Emily Blunt) to start up a salmon fishing project in the middle of the Yemen. Her client, a Yemeni sheikh, is quite fond of fly-fishing and wishes to bring his favourite pastime to his home country. At first passed off as a preposterous mission, the salmon project becomes the British government’s top priority in a spin campaign launched by the Prime Minister’s salty press secretary (Kristin Scott Thomas) to bring positive coverage in the press after a military snafu in Afghanistan. The salmon fishing project brings ever so many opportunities for romantic entanglements for McGregor’s and Blunt’s characters, and thus, a romantic comedy about salmon fishing is born.

Based on Paul Torday’s book, the script was adapted for the big screen by Slumdog Millionaire scribe Simon Beaufoy. The fast-paced, witty dialogue is both funny and charming, especially when delivered in McGregor’s fine Scottish brogue. His character of Fred Jones is slightly off-centre and a little harsh, recalling one of McGregor’s earlier performances as Alex in Danny Boyle’s Shallow Grave. He and Blunt have great chemistry on-screen and it is the pairing of the two leads that help guide the film through the rough patches in the script.

The film’s strongest assets are the performances from the cast. The rapid-fire exchanges of dialogue are fresh and funny, especially in first half of the film. Kristin Scott Thomas is well-cast as the ball-busting Bridget Maxwell, though the character seems like a one-dimensional caricature compared to the more rounded Fred and Harriet, as does the salmon-obsessed Yemeni sheikh (Amr Waked).

Despite the strong casting and pedigree of director Lasse Hallström, the film can’t quite find balance between the lighter, humourous aspects of the script and the darker, more serious subject matter than includes war and a devious plot to overthrow the sheikh. The film becomes strained when it moves away from the predictable romantic comedy it wants to be. With several ludicrous plot points and a groan-worthy instant messaging exchange, the second half of the film suffers and can’t quite regain the humour and excitement of the first hour.

The film was a crowd-pleaser at TIFF when it screened as part of the Special Presentations programme.