The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

In the meantime, the prime minister’s press office is scrambling for a piece of good Anglo-Arabian news that “isn’t to do with something exploding” for a change. However, when the chief press officer, Patricia Maxwell (Scott-Thomas) – a woman who knows what she wants and exactly how to get it – comes across the story, things begin to look a lot brighter.

With his marriage in the slums and after a fair bit of convincing done by both Harriet and the Sheikh, Dr. Jones finally gives in.  He leaves the drab halls of London for the warm open spaces of the Middle East and both him and Harriet go on to undertake the Sheikh’s money-is-no-object project of introducing salmon fishing to the Yemen shores.

The story is not just about the art of fly-fishing, political agendas and the vast Yemeni desert; it’s a gently told story of faith and hope. It starts off strong; the witty banter between the somewhat up-tight McGregor and the easy-going and irresistibly charming Blunt is enticing and the audience slowly gets reeled in.  The concept of building a dam in the Yemeni desert and flying the fish over from Northern Europe to swim upstream in the man-made river is definitely outlandish, yet somehow engaging.  Hallstrom’s focus is on the romantic thread and the other elements of the story merely fall into the background in comparison.

Despite its solid start, the film’s well intentioned emotional track eventually enters murky waters.  The subplot with Harriet and her boyfriend of three weeks is melodramatic and the Sheikh’s eternal enemies – who accuse him of importing Western values – seem a little far-fetched.