A Walk in the Woods (2015)

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

Bill Bryson (Robert Redford) is a travel author bored with his life. He opts to hike the Appalachian trail while he can still walk. His wife (Emma Thompson) insists he doesn't hike alone...enter Steven Katz (Nick Nolte) a crusty old frenemy who is in worse shape than Bryson. They walk on the trail and talk about old times that was rather boring. If there was any real meaning or theme in what Nolte was slurring I missed it as his drone was putting me to sleep. They were probably the only two hikers to ever encounter a non-native Grizzly on the trail. Mary Ellen (Kristen Schaal) made the film interesting for a bit, but then she left the picture. She describes the people she meets as "boring boring dumb dumb." And that pretty much summed things up. I would recommend "Wild" if you want to stay awake during a hiking film. If you loved "All is Lost" you most likely will love this one too. Guide: F-bomb. Brief oral sex. no nudity.

I have just finished watching this, and wish to record my critique of the film while it's still fresh in my mind. First, let me say how disappointed I was. Bill Bryson himself has purportedly stated on record that he was impressed at how the film captures the spirit of the book. I disagree wholeheartedly. As a huge fan of all his writings, this work is one of my favourites, and I have read it many times. The film completely misses the warm and engaging nature of the book. We are subjected to preachy lectures from Bryson (Robert Redford) at various stages of the film, which are a world apart from the concerns that Bryson expresses in his writings about the current state of preservation of flora & fauna in the book, and specifically how the National Parks Service have actually worked to the detriment of these. Other reviewers have spoken of the complete miscasting of Redford in the leading role, with which I agree, but I also think Nolte was miscast-I've always pictured Jon Lovitz in the role. Emma Thompson was woefully underused-if you've cast an actress of her talents, use them, or cast somebody less well-known in the role. The same could also be said of Mary Steenburgen. Huge chunks of the book are left out, which is perhaps to be expected when making a film, but it's puzzling why certain sections were chosen, and others left out. There are also parts of the film which are complete invention, such as the bears invading their camp, and the falling off the trail, and one section which has been lifted from one of Bryson's other works (The Lost Continent). Bill Bryson is a much accredited writer, whose works have drawn praise from all sectors of the professional world, so why did the screenwriters (Rick Kerb and Bill Holderman) think they could do a better job?.. Finally, the AT winds its way through some of the most breath-taking scenery in the Eastern USA, and yet the film does very little to illustrate this, and feels more like a student production in its editing and cinematography. At least in 'Wild' (2014), when Reese Witherspoon did a similar thing and walked the Pacific Crest Trail, albeit for very different reasons, the scenery was one of the stars of the film... Lovingly and beautifully filmed by Yves Bélanger under the direction ofJean-Marc Vallée-perhaps Canadians do it better, eh?.. The acting from the two leads is stilted and wooden-another sign of poor direction. So, in summing up, I've said it before, and I'll say it again... Forget the film, read the book instead-you'll enjoy it far more, and it'll make you want to read his other works (I own the complete collection). Unfortunately, Mr Redford, you've let yourself and all the rest of us down badly on this occasion.Yves Bélanger

I had a group of 6 friends over for a movie night. We all enjoyed this movie very much. Apart from the humour, there were moments of pathos as well as the wonderful scenery. Bryson's book is my very favourite non fiction book. It has been a hugely popular best seller. I think that explains a lot of the disappointment and criticism that the film version has attracted. Naturally, there's a lot more in the book and the film has a couple of inaccuracies. Unfortunately this is true of many movies based on books. Admittedly Redford and Nolte were too old for the roles. Bryson and his friend Katz were only in their mid 40's when they did the walk. However, as our viewing group were all over 60, the older ages of the two actors added another dimension to the movie that we could all relate to - the challenge of a last great adventure before senescence really starts to set in. All in all a pleasant uplifting movie, which I could watch again.

There's a classic (though probably unintentional) homage when Robert Redford, as a bored travelogue writer, and Nick Nolte, as his once-wild companion, are staring off the edge of an Appalachian Trail peak with nowhere to go but way, way down... Well the younger SUNDANCE could have survived but these guys are just too old to take risks... Though not entirely...The hike is quite a chore, especially so late in life, and the first twenty minutes doesn't really develop the characters but plays a sort of hesitation game while learning about other people that don't matter much (like Emma Thompson as a wife so open-minded she's just not interesting)... So once the journey finally gets underway, it's all about Redford's classy-wise Bill and Nolte's shaggy, weathered Stephan.Feeling catered to a mainstream audience and taking on a BUCKET LIST plot without Cancer, the movie itself hikes from here to there in a breezy, safe fashion. So when a load of misadventures happen (and keep happening) to the boys, from an annoying female camper to a jealous small town husband, the results feel contrived. But there is one particular scene (led by Nolte) where they not only genuinely bond with each other, the audience gets to see past the cliché "we're too old for this" template and the two veteran actors get to finally... act their talents.