A Walk in the Woods, the 2015 comedy-drama that I thought would be a throwaway movie that I originally only watched so that I could add it to my list, turned out to be one of the biggest surprises of the year. Now, don’t get me wrong. I’d be a fool to think that a year from now that I’d remember anything from this movie or that I’ll ever watch this movie again. But for two hours on a Tuesday night in the middle of April, it was a very refreshing escape from reality, and a movie had me grinning from ear to ear from the first scene until the last. Also, if Robert Redford (The Horse Whisperer, All is Lost) or Nick Nolte (The Prince of Tides, Warrior) called it a career today, and this was either of their last movies, I think that would be okay. Each has had a solid career. While not his number one fan, I find it absolutely criminal that Redford has only been nominated for one Oscar for acting in his entire career (way back in 1974 for The Sting). Nolte has had more success as an actor in terms of awards (three Oscar nominations). And while these two actors are household names who each have more than a dozen movies that you could rattle off the top of your heads, their careers have followed very different careers. Controversies in his personal life have marred Nolte’s career, whereas Redford has sort of been the poster boy of how an A-list actor can live his life while staying out of the tabloids. The two don’t seem like much of a match for a movie like this so late in their careers. But the movie worked perfectly for each man. You’ll leave your viewing knowing that each gave an admirable performance even though it’s light-hearted and certainly not one of their most memorable ones.
I think I liked this movie as much as I did because of how cheerful and graceful it was. It reminded me a lot of The Intern, the Robert De Niro/Anne Hathaway joint venture that also came out this year. Like A Walk in the Woods, The Intern was a welcomed surprise. Both were light-hearted comedies with just a tad bit of fluffy drama. However, The Intern told a much better story, was much wittier, and was more memorable. Whereas The Intern succeeded in so many different ways, A Walk in the Woods was merely passable. But, again, I’m not going to knock A Walk in the Woods for many of its shortages because this film entertained me when movies that I thought would be able to do the same did not. Plus, I got to see both Redford and Nolte in roles where they have both navigated their ways through the maze of life and have one final adventure they want to conquer: a successful hike of the Appalachian Trail.
Redford plays Bill Bryson, a successful author who always seems content but rarely satisfied (if that makes any sense). Now in retirement, he lives in a comfortable New Hampshire with his beautiful wife Catherine (Emma Thompson – Sense and Sensibility, Howard’s End) in a cozy little home with his three adoring grandchildren nearby. All is right for the man, but he finds himself restless. Having accomplished so much in his professional and personal life, it’s hard for him just to sit back and watch the action. A complete hike of the Appalachian Trail seems to be the answer for him.
However, he needs a partner to accompany him for his wife to sign off. Enter Stephen Katz (Nolte), a womanizing alcoholic who Bryson hasn’t seen or spoken to in the last 30 years. The two friends drifted apart, and it isn’t until Katz comes up to Bryson’s New Hampshire home that he realizes that he missed out on having this wonderful life Bryson has experienced. He’s written a number of successful adventure books. He’s traveled the world. He has a loving family and lives in the warmest of homes. But, while Katz doesn’t seem to experience outright jealousy, he does realize that he’s wasted the better parts of his life boozing and chasing skirts.
Bryson and Katz make for an odd pair, but that’s what makes this so exciting. I had long ago written Nolte off as being able to have a credible performance. And while Katz might just be a crazy enough character to emulate some of his own personal indiscretions, he is just as endearing as the straightlaced Bryson who has seemed to have followed the life that his mother and father envisioned for him perfectly. Bryson’s biggest flaw is that he’s a bit of a wisecracker, and he doesn’t have the best filter to his mouth. Sure these are traits that could get you in trouble, but in a movie like this, they are in place to bring out a good laugh.
The comedy is often forced and the situations encountered are often predictable, but that doesn’t make it less fun. It’s the reactions that these two characters have that tell the real story. Redford is a far cry from the introverted, conceited man who seemed to think he was immortal in 2013’s All Is Lost. In that movie, he played a man who was sinking in the middle of the ocean after his boat collides with many tied-up freight boxes. He’s not all that likable, and while we aren’t exactly rooting for him to die, he doesn’t do much to encourage us to cheer for him. In A Walk in the Woods, simply through facial expressions and one-sentence responses to questions on a local talk show, Redford’s Bryson is more likable in the first few minutes than his character is throughout the duration of All Is Lost. And Nolte’s Katz is the perfect pairing. While the two are very different and aren’t always on the same page, there is a deep-rooted friendship that both men are hoping to rekindle. Director Ken Kwapis (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, He Said, She Said) chooses not to take us down familiar paths of characters rediscovering themselves or appreciating all they have through the adversity of the hike. It’s quite the opposite, actually. It’s a comedy adventure with some quirky scenes, and we’re just along for the ride.
Redford fans should check this film out. So should those looking for something light and fluffy that tells gives a little adventure comedy but never takes itself too seriously, but at the same time never goes over the top with corniness. You could do far worse with a 2015 movie. I’d still recommend The Intern over this film, though. The general premise is similar. The acting is better. And you’ll also exit your viewing knowing that you’ve seen a better film that tries to offer the same intentions as A Walk in the Woods. The score below is a little lower than how I felt about this movie. It’s a solid C+/B- which is much better than my initial D/D+ prediction.
Plot 6.5/10
Character Development 7/10
Character Chemistry 8.5/10
Acting 8/10
Screenplay 7/10
Directing 6/10
Cinematography 6.5/10 (not once did I feel like these guys were actually hiking one of the world’s most famous nature trails)
Sound 7.5/10 (cheesy at times, but it also worked for what it was trying to accomplish)
Hook and Reel 7/10
Universal Relevance 7/10 (I didn’t take a lot out of this…I realize Kwapis could have gone for this approach, but that wouldn’t have worked either)
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