A Walk In The Woods | Movie Review

After an interview gone awry and a funeral gone even worse, travel writer Bill Bryson (Robert Redford) decides to kick society to the curb and take a stroll down the Appalachian Trail. When I say stroll, know that I mean 2100+ miles of meandering in fairly dangerous terrain by a 70 year-old man. Of course, Bryson’s wife (Emma Thompson) realizes it would be insane for anyone to attempt this kind of trek alone, so she mandates that Bryson brings along a responsible companion. What she gets instead is Bryson’s estranged friend Katz (Nick Nolte), a recovering alcoholic on the lam from outstanding warrants. Ignoring their obvious differences, Bryson and Katz set off on their last great adventure. Thus begins “A Walk in the Woods”.

Robert Redford has been championing this film – an adaptation of a novel by the actual Bill Bryson – for years, originally intended to be another pairing for Redford and Paul Newman. Let’s take a minute and imagine how fantastic that pairing would have been…ahhhh. While Redford and Nolte might not have the same timeless chemistry of Butch and Sundance, these two grizzled veterans still afford us with instant sympathy and established personalities. This proves to be important for a film focused solely on the journey, as there truly is no destination.

Most reviews I can decipher the ins and outs of whatever work of ‘art’ we’re talking about – what works and what doesn’t, etc. – but I really have no clue how a lightsaber would function or how that Iron Man suit can jump through wormholes. Well, “A Walk in the Woods” is firmly planted on my turf. Several times a year, a few close friends and I make this same idiotic (by some accounts) plight to abandon civilization, leave our showers and electronics at home, head to the mountains, and just disappear. Being an avid backpacker for over a decade, what I was most worried about walking into THIS film was watching a complete lack of believability.

See, any movie that has two older guys starting this hike – with no experience whatsoever like Bryson and Katz – better begin with two guys cursing the world in sweat and tears. Those first few miserable miles will determine exactly how much you hate your friends for talking you into this. Thankfully, “A Walk in the Woods” respects this truth and paints a very realistic portrait of what life ala natural is all about. From the monotony to the campfire talks, they do backwoods living a fair justice. Not to mention, Redford and Nolte have the charm to carry the movie as effortlessly as a well-organized pack, which is important as the film is about not much more than adventure camping with a friend, and the old guard keep us entertained throughout by sheer charisma.

Unfortunately, what the film doesn’t have is what is at the heart of backpacking for those of us that love it: To feel truly alive. Director Ken Kwapis throws in a few sweeping vistas, but what he doesn’t convey is the tranquil awe the experience brings to your very soul (the closest they come is a touching scene on top a rock of pure serenity). It’s a difficult thing to convey, but an important aspect in a film like this.

That is not a deterrent, this is still an entertaining film full of hijinks and guffaws, it’s just not the deeply moving experience it could have been, and at times aspires to be. Redford, Nolte, and company want us to leave with a profound sense of self and inspiration, they leave us instead with a fairly fun buddy-comedy in the woods. Still, it’s worth the walk.

Aaron Peterson
The Hollywood Outsider