Movie review | Robert Redford’s latest isn’t a bad ‘walk’
A Walk In The Woods ***1/2
Enjoying movies made from books you love is always a risky proposition. In this case, author Bill Bryson’s true tale of hiking the Appalachian Trail with a childhood friend only touches on some of the best elements of the 1998 New York Times best-seller, but that may be enough.
Bryson, played by producer Robert Redford, and Bryson’s eccentric friend, Stephen Katz, played by Nick Nolte, pair up in what is essentially a buddy film.
The movie, like the book, takes place along sections of the Appalachian Trail, which runs from Georgia to Maine. When semi-retired Bryson has a small mid-life crisis, he convinces his British wife (Emma Thompson) to let him go on this five-month journey of 2,000 miles, so long as he’s not alone.
Nolte, solid as rock, plays an older, former alcoholic as out of shape and unprepared for the epic trip as was Bryson, who was only slightly better off. With no real “grab-ya-by-the-heartstrings” moments but plenty of friendship banter, misadventures, and a taste of what it’s like to truly walk in the woods, this picturesque outdoorsy flick makes this an adaptation worth seeing.
What do those stars mean?
* Really, really, really bad. Don’t bother.
** Pretty bad, with one or more redeeming scenes.
*** Pretty good, but maybe not great, worth seeing for most
**** Really great, a winning combination of story, casting, and directing
***** The rarest gem, an all-around perfect motion picture
This story was originally published September 6, 2015 at 2:48 AM with the headline "Movie review | Robert Redford’s latest isn’t a bad ‘walk’."