A Walk In The Woods
Blistering…
Originally conceived as a reunion vehicle for Robert Redford and Paul Newman, this amiable adaptation of Bill Bryson’s 1998 bestseller might once have stood alongside Butch Cassidy and The Sting. Instead it is destined to sit among the slightly less exalted likes of Wild and The Way – earnest movies that use walking as a metaphor for personal growth and the great outdoors as a conduit for self-exploration and reflection. Even next to those films, A Walk In The Woods is more a light stroll than a gruelling yomp.
Yet it’s still one that affords lots of incidental pleasures, chief among them the testy, sparring interplay between Redford’s genial, rueful Bryson and Nick Nolte’s grizzled, growly Katz, a college buddy of old who volunteers to join the author as he undertakes an impulsive hike up the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine. A shambling wreck with a lifetime of alcoholism etched on his features, Katz could hardly be more different from his more assured and elegant companion. While making light-hearted hay of their differences, however, Ken Kwapis’ film also finds time to celebrate what they have in common: a mutual loathing for Kristen Schaal’s annoyingly perky younger backpacker, for example, or their shared admiration for Mary Steenburgen’s accommodating, lonely hostelier.
That the pair scarcely scratch the surface of their arduous quest is par for the course in a film that is as much about the ageing process as it is about tents and camping stoves. (So is a pace that rarely gets above walking and is often practically sedentary.) Like the book on which it’s based, though, A Walk In The Woods is more about the ebbs and flows of friendship than it is about the walk. And when the friends in question are a brace of ageing Hollywood heavyweights brimming with charisma, it’s no hardship to share time in their company. THE VERDICT Watchable leads and attractive scenery are the chief draws of a film that takes its own sweet time getting nowhere in particular. Shame Emma Thompson is wasted as Redford’s stay-at-home spouse. › Certificate 15 Director Ken Kwapis Starring Robert Redford, Emma Thompson, Nick Nolte, Mary Steenburgen, Nick Offerman, Kristen Schaal Screenplay Bill Holderman, Rick Kerb Distributor Entertainment One Running time 104 mins