Much like its two main characters, A Walk in the Woods is a film that’s comfortable and familiar. There are no surprises to be had while watching it; the platitudes it espouses we’ve heard ad nauseum and the events that take place are predictable but pleasant in being so. This is the cinematic equivalent of a big plate of meatloaf and mashed potatoes – it’s good enough, it’s filling and it’s forgotten as soon as the next meal/movie comes along.
Based on the memoir by Bill Bryson, the film takes a lighthearted look at his mid-life crisis as well as the radical act he takes to cure his malaise. Much to his wife’s chagrin, he decides to hike the Appalachian Trail, a mere 2,118 mile journey – or as one of his more encouraging friends puts it – five million steps taken over the course of five months. This radical plan is brought on when he realizes that much of the successful pieces of travel writing upon which he has built a fruitful career were written long ago, as well as the fact that friends and acquaintances that were once hail and hearty are now sick and dying.
Very few film stars have been as guarded and controlling about their screen images as closely as Robert Redford, and what with his naturally charming, handsome and outdoorsy persona, it’s no wonder that he’s been holding on to the rights of Bryson’s book since it was published in 1998. The role fits him like a weathered glove, and while he intended this to be the final project he would make with Paul Newman, his casting Nick Nolte in the role of his old acquaintance and fellow hiker Stephen
Katz couldn’t have been more spot on.
Having worked together before in The Company You Keep, the two veteran performers are able to make this more than bearable and at times enjoyable. Nolte has rarely been as gregarious and likable as he is here, playing a mountain of a man with as many troubles as he has extra pounds. And while it might seem an easy role to play, the actor knows that less is more; while it might be tempting and more fun to play this outsized character in a broad manner, it would be far less convincing. Redford has always been a more reactive performer, one of our best screen listeners and his deliberate pauses to his co-star’s grand line readings help generate laughs that might be absent if lesser hands were on board.
If you look fast you might catch a glimpse of Emma Thompson as Bryson’s worried wife Catherine, while Mary Steenburgen and Nick Offerman make even briefer appearances as a flirtatious lodge keeper and a wise sporting goods salesman respectively. Yes, even in the minor roles, you’re in good hands and while there’s no heavy dramatic lifting to be done, it’s no wonder that everyone involved seems to be at ease and having a good time. Chances are, you will too if you’re a fan of Redford or Nolte or are just looking for amiable company to while away an unseasonably warm day in the cool confines of a movie theater. There are certainly worse ways to spend your time. Whether walking the Appalachian Trail is one of those is for you to determine.
Contact Chuck Koplinski at [email protected].