"A Walk in the Woods" is a movie version of travel writer Bill Bryson's 1998 non-fiction book he wrote based on his own accounts of his traverse across the great Appalachian Trail. Robert Redford plays Bryson along with Nick Nolte who steals the show from Redford's disappointing return to a starring role in the big screen.
Redford has been trying to turn "A Walk in the Woods" into a film for about 10 years, according to The New York Times and he finally gets his wish and portrayed the restless Bryson who along with his good friend Stephen Katz walked the 3,500-kilometer Appalachian Trail.
Katz is played by Nolte who along with Redford make a duo of friends who amuse and argue with each other all throughout the film. The movie is directed by Ken Kwapis who is best known for "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" but it is clear that Redford did some adjustments to the story to suit his and Nolte's actual age to that of the characters they were portraying who are actually both 44 years old in the book.
"A Walk in the Woods" is a film in the mold of the long-walk genre which according to the Sydney Morning Herald has shown a big following in recent years just like "Wild" that stars Reese Witherspoon who plays a woman trekking across the Pacific Coast and the documentary "Walking the Camino" which is a feature about the famous Spanish route.
Redford and Nolte offer enough comic relief but theirs is an odd pairing for the film. But of the two veteran actors, Nolte somehow is able to steal the show away from Redford who struggles to stay true to the book while trying to put his own stamp on the film. Overall, "A Walk in the Woods" is a fun movie worth watching for a few laughs but it's a stubborn attempt at translating a really good book into film.
