Neive Bellamy
Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.
Portia Hilton
Blistering performances.
Candida
It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.
Michael Ledo
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.
Adams5905
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
Clifton Johnson
This book was informative and hilarious storytelling...Bryson at his best. The movie? It's pleasant enough, I guess. But turning this classic hiking story into the equivalent of "Last Vegas" definitely dampened things. This should have been more than old guy jokes and slapstick. But it's the perfect movie for when your parents come over, and the scenery/acting are good enough to pass the time. Realism? No.
Wuchak
Released in 2015, "A Walk in the Woods" stars Robert Redford as an over-the-hill writer who decides to hike the 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail. After his wife (Emma Thompson) insists he get a partner, the only one who's up for it is an old overweight friend with a drinking problem (Nick Nolte). Kristen Schaal and Mary Steenburgen have peripheral roles, amongst others. I rate movies according to what they are and aspire to achieve. This is a consistently amusing drama/adventure starring two seasoned veterans and it thoroughly delivers the goods as quality entertainment spiced with worthy mindfood. Some people complain that Redford and Nolte were too old for the parts (they were 78 and 73 during filming) in light of the real Bill Bryson and Katz being in their 40s in the satirical 1998 biography, but without them the movie wouldn't have been made and, besides, they're eminently effective in the roles and drive home the point of out-of-shape, mature wannabe hikers. It's vastly superior to Emilio Estevez' similar "The Way" (2010). The movie runs 104 minutes and was shot along the Appalachian Trail in North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Virginia, as well as Sharon, Connecticut. It was directed by Ken Kwapis from a script by Michael Arndt & Bill Holderman from Bill Bryson's book. GRADE: A-
