It's The Conflict, Stupid

I was reading a review of the movie (based on a book) Salmon Fishing In The Yemen in Entertainment Weekly. Something about it struck me, probably because it hit on a complaint I sometimes have with books. It went like this:

[The movie] takes us back to the sort of achingly civilized love story in which the only thing that really stands in the way of two people falling for each other is their own decorum.

Which I take to mean: you can't shortcut the conflict. Make it meaningful, real and compelling. Yes, yes and yes.