Redford and Nolte shine in comic, thoughtful ‘A Walk In The Woods’
– FILM REVIEW – By Cate Marquis –
Robert Redford and Nick Nolte star as a couple of “old guys” who get the crazy idea to walk the Appalachian Trail in the adventure comedy “A Walk In The Woods.” St. Louis-area native Ken Kwapis directed this gently funny, thoughtful movie adaptation of Bill Bryson’s non-fiction bestseller.
Writer Bill Bryson (Redford) is feeling unsettled. After an idiotic TV interview with a misinformed, self-absorbed talk show host, the writer returns home from his book tour, to face attending yet another funeral for an old friend. Despite his career success, his happy marriage to his British-born wife Catherine (Emma Thompson), and a comfortable life in a large country house, Bryson feels he is missing something in life. Taking a walk near his New England home, he wanders on to a portion of the 2,200 mile Appalachian Trail, which sparks the idea that what he needs is to hike the trail.
His wife’s reaction is predictable – she thinks he is nuts. The rugged trail, which winds through woods, mountains and streams from Georgia to Maine, is a challenging trek that regularly defeats younger, fitter, more experienced hikers. Yet Bryson is determined to do this, and she is convinced he will die on the trail – so she hopes to talk him out of it by leaving him endless printouts of articles about people who have died while hiking alone in the woods.
Reluctantly, Bryson agrees to a compromise – to take a buddy along. But countless phone calls to friends only result in messages turning him down (often with the same “are you nuts?” reaction to the idea as his wife). Finally, he gets a call back from a childhood friend, Stephen Katz (Nick Nolte). Bryson hasn’t seen or talked Katz in years, since their days back in Iowa where they grew up, but remembers him as a hard-partying wild character – not the sort of person he expects to want to take on a challenging multi-month hike. Bryson is hoping for peace and reflection on this hike and Katz does not seem the most promising companion for that. Still, no one else stepping up, so Bryson has no choice if he wants to do this hike.
When Bryson meets Katz at the local regional airport, things don’t look any better. Katz is overweight, looks out of shape and seems to be one step ahead from a warrant for his arrest. Nonetheless, they are committed to this hike and take off for the lodge at the trail head.
Self discovery and insights on life are common reasons for taking the Appalachian or other long trail hikes, as Cheryl Strayed (or Reese Witherspoon) did in “Wild.” “A Walk in the Woods” does include some of that but the focus is more comic, with these two bickering and engaging in the kind of humorous sparring men sometimes do. Director Kwapis and his stars give us an ongoing show by these two old former pals, which is both funny and appealing.
The film also features Mary Steenburgen as a woman who runs a family-owned hotel along the trail, Kristen Schaal as a very talkative fellow hiker, Nick Offerman as “REI Dave” who advises the inexperienced Bryson on the equipment he will need for the trek, among others. In Bryson’s autobiographical book, the author and his traveling companion were about thirty years younger, if out of shape, than Redford. However, the idea still works, as the concept is really a pair of bickering people (whether guys or a couple) facing the difficulties on a trail otherwise filled with the young and fit. Director Kwapis and Redford and Nolte embrace the inherent humor in the situation but refrain from obvious slapstick that could have sunk this film. Instead, the patter between the two long-ago friends as they tackle the challenges of their walk in the woods adds plenty of chuckles and smiles, as they B.S. each other or talk about life and choices in a completely believable and entertaining way.
The chemistry between the two stars is spot on, and Redford plays a slightly ironic straight man to Nolte’s more comic character. The two argue, tell stories, one-up each other and occasionally talk about more serious matters. Along the way, they encounter other walkers with their own agendas or issues and deal with the challenges of the trail – weather, sore feet, slippery rocks, rushing streams, bears, obnoxious fellow hikers, even romantic flirtations – as they deal with the expected and unexpected obstacles to reaching their goal
As an outdoors comedy about a couple of old friends walking and arguing their way along the trail. it could not be more perfect. The flavor of “A Walk in the Woods” is just light enough to be funny and entertaining, but also is filled with beautiful scenery and wilderness adventure, and the kind of insights on life one might expect from a very long walk in the woods.
© Cate Marquis
