A Walk in the Woods

I enjoyed this film. No politics, no pandering, just light humor involving two old codgers doing something really stupid. It's a good and relaxing watch with a strong cast led by Redford and Nolte.

Based on the 1998 book/memoir of the same name by Bill Bryson, 'A Walk in the Woods' is a sweet, simple & uncomplicated film, that turns out to be nice fun. Its also supremely well-acted, although that barely comes as a surprise, since the performers on-screen are legends.

'A Walk in the Woods' Synopsis: After spending two decades in England, Bill Bryson returns to the U.S., where he decides the best way to connect with his homeland is to hike the Appalachian Trail with one of his oldest friends.

'A Walk in the Woods' is sweet look at age, adventure & friendship. Watching the senior protagonists go on a trip in the wilderness, offers moments of warmth & subtle humour. However, the film plays it safe at all times & hence it turns out be a good watch, but nothing memorable. Its harmless, but never remarkable.

Bill Holderman & Michael Arndt's Screenplay is nicely done. although its too simple in totality. Ken Kwapis's Direction is passable. Cinematography captures the wilderness well. Editing is sharp. Nathan Larson's Score is super.

Performance-Wise: Robert Redford & Nick Nolte are delightful. They create a fabulous on-screen camaraderie & carry the film on their ever-reliable shoulders. Emma Thompson shines in a brief role. Mary Steenburgen, however, is tiresomely typecast.

On the whole, 'A Walk in the Woods' is worth a watch.

Although the characters portrayed are probably older than me, I could relate to aspects of combining nature, friendship, and fresh air that goes along with hiking anywhere. I am an outdoors-man and I knew I would like this movie like I did, simply because of the hiking, camping, and philosophical air. Of course, the actors made the movie even more enjoyable for me as I thought about past entertainments from this crown and began to remember how they made me laugh in the past and take life in strides and enjoy. I recommend watching this movie simply to inspire people to step out of their normal routines once in while, get a level set, and remember to enjoy life versus stress over it all of the time.

I went to see this movie today, having read the original book by Bill Bryson and subsequently listened to a hilarious 'audio book' version narrated by Kerry Shale.

My first comment is that Robert Redford is just too old, way too old, for the part. By my estimate, Bill Bryson was less than 50 when he walked the trail with Katz, whereas Redford is 78. It made a big and substantial difference to my enjoyment of the movie, since a lot of the humour in the book comes from the fact that it's two middle-aged slightly overweight guys who start the walk, not two old men.

Furthermore, I found Emma Thompson's portrayal of Catherine Bryson simply irritating and humourless. Like Robert Redford, I felt she just turned up and did her lines.

Many of the best anecdotes from the book appear in the movie, and yet somehow none is anything like as funny as in the book/audio book. For example, the overweight nasal-sounding Mary Ellen segment just isn't as funny in the movie not least because the actress playing Mary Ellen is not overweight and therefore her jibe at Katz for being overweight misses the joke.

Overall, the movie was light and amusing in places, but bad casting and uncommitted acting makes it just average and with a heavy heart I rate it just 6/10. And trust me, I went in with fairly low expectations yet hoping for a good laugh. It was worse than I expected and not as funny as I'd hoped.

I really enjoyed this movie mixed of light comic touches and thought-provoking scenes. It's not a movie which wins over audience with dramatic turns and characterization. So I would recommend you to enjoy it alone or with someone who has similar patience as you. The story, as the name of the movie suggests, a walk in the wood, takes you for a causal walk into the nature. It leads you to look for the lost good qualities in human beings or make a good reflection on the past. This story is for me like a walk which makes me ponder over what adventures await in my future and how experience changes a person. There are a lot of interesting dialogues sparked with age-old memory and wisdom between these two characters: Katz and Bryson. They are grumpy, funny, and adorable. On top of that, the wood sceneries are gorgeous too.