A Walk in the Woods // Film Review

TomTalksOnline
Jul 21, 2017 · 3 min read

A Walk in the Woods is an adventure biographical film (With a hint of “comedy”) directed by Ken Kwapis, based on the same named book by Bill Bryson. I say “comedy” because it’s clear 1/4 into the film they stopped trying to write jokes.

It follows the two main characters, Bill Bryson (Robert Redford) and Stephen Katz (Nick Nolte), on their hike through the Appalachian trail. The acting was overall good but felt slightly lazy at times, from both actors. There are also a couple of people that the main characters run into on their journey, including Nick Offerman from Parks and Recreation. But they have very short amounts of screen time.

Basic Plot

The first scene is Bill Bryson in a TV studio being interviewed about his new book, he makes it apparent that he is very bored and want to leave as quick as possible. This quickly transitions to Bill at a funeral with his wife Catherine (Emma Thompson), where he yet again seems uninterested in what is going on. This causes Bill to decide to take a walk where he discovers a sign pointing to the Appalachian trail.

Bill has his heart set on the hike but his worried wife forces him to go with someone else, which, due to a series of unfortunate events, becomes Stephen. Its clear Stephen isn't in a fit shape, so any normal person would bet against him. This is the basic premise of the film, a pretty cheesy overdone, “You can do anything if you set your mind to it” style film. Although, this one does have a slight twist, I wouldn’t call it anything you don’t see coming.

Directors Decisions

There isn’t really too much to say here, the film was very basic with little artistic input from Ken. Music was used a lot in this film to keep it upbeat and “Family Friendly”, which is odd considering there is a fair amount of swearing. You could say that there was a change from dark suits to outdoor clothes which represented Bill becoming less bored with his life, but it seems like a weak argument to make.

Final Thoughts

A Walk in the Woods was definitely enjoyable to watch, but as I mentioned, I don’t really understand its target audience. If you want a film with depth then don’t watch this, but if you just want to relax then this may be the film for you.

Overall, I would give A Walk in the Woods a 5/10, it was definitely good but I just can’t justify giving it a better score.

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