Salmon Fishing In the Yemen... The Five Year Engagement... and Friends with Kids

I had the opportunity to see these films consecutively over the last month and what I realized is that when it comes to "Rom-Com's" there is definitely the good, the not so bad, and the ugly.  Love takes the stage in the leading role of all three of these films...and the lesson is the same--finding it and keeping it is really really hard!  Other than that, that is where the similarities end.

The Good... "Salmon Fishing In the Yemen". More cerebral than its counterparts, it asks bigger questions in its sweeping shots and exotic locals.  I have never seen Scotland or the Middle East look so beautiful! While this is not exactly a title one would expect for a film about love, hope and faith; but it is, and it is a wonderful adventure from beginning to end!  

A wonderful diversion from explosions and politics, this film in its own search for community, peace, humanity and faith delivers just that.  Based on the novel by Paul Torday, it tells the story of how two ordinary job-faring people with the inspiration and funds of a very wealthy shiek find the meaning of life and love by bringing salmon to Yemen.

As it is often easier to go with the flow than swim up stream, Ewan MacGregor's character, Dr. Alfred Jones, follows the easy current.  By doing so he lives a very dull, introverted, formatted life in his cubicle and his home controlled by his beast of a boss and his unloving emotionless wife.  Harriet on the other hand, played thoughtfully by Emily Blunt, is more open to experiences but is consistantly fearful of being hurt and has found her peace in being driven by her job. Like any good romantic comedy, strong-willed people and their beliefs make funny and eventually heartfelt stories.  Throw in the comic relief of Kristin Scott Thomas (yes, I said Kristen Scott Thomas) as the Prime Minister's energetically fierce Press Secretary counterbalanced with the calm and unflappable Shiek played by Amr Waked and you have yourself a beautifully casted film, adventure, and love story (on many different levels).

The Not So Bad... "Five Year Engagement".  Although riddled (and often) with Jason Segel's buttocks and lewd comedic efforts, this film has an endearing and honest quality to it that saved it from going in the direction of "Bridesmaids".  It follows couple Tom and Violet, as they embark on the adventure known as engagement and the following stages of wedding planning.  However, their careers have other plans.  Not wanting to be just a housewife and mother but rather to follow her academic dreams and goals, Violet (Emily Blunt) awaits to hear of her acceptance for a psychology teaching assistantship.  Tom (Jason Segel) is a successful sous-chef at a thriving San Francisco restaurant.  When Violet's acceptance letter arrives from the University of Michigan, the couple is required to make the decision to follow Violet's career path rather than Tom's.  The story follows a usual "rom com" formula and there are very few surprises but it has an endearing spirit that leaves you feeling good.

The Ugly... "Friends with Kids".  I had high hopes for what turned out to be this less than mediocre film.  While it seemed like a semi-fresh idea...instead of friends with benefits, friends with kids...it ignores all of the emotional building blocks for a good romantic comedy.   Attempting to conceal its blatent plagiarizing of "When Harry Met Sally",  it focuses on archaic themes which are run into the ground repeatedly with a heavy reliance on its brash and contemporary "Bridesmaids" cast.

I expected more from Jennifer Westveldt (Kissing Jessica Stein), a smart and wonderfully endearing actress who I hate to say bit off way more than she could chew with this project (writing, directing, producing, and acting).  I think this would have been a stronger film if she had chosen just one job , not focusing on her character but also those of her fellow actors and their characters.  

Where I had hoped that we would have a new modern script to uphold in "Rom-Com" history, we as the viewers were given the same force-fed humor and storyline with no emotional connection whatsoever.  

The little nugget to gleen from this car wreck of a film is the slightly interesting and honest portrayal of couplehood in 2012...here is where the story is interesting and where I would like to have seen it flourish.  As the story progresses we see three archetypal couples (the couple in lust, the couple in love, and the couple who doesn't know they are a couple) progress or digress as the case may be.  The strongest and best performances of the pack go to Maya Rudolph and Chris O'Dowd.