Movie: A Walk in the Woods

I only briefly read the synopsis of this. Any film starring Robert Redford and stunning scenery has got to be worth a watch, right? Throw in Nick Nolte and we have some guaranteed humour.What I didn’t note until I’d settled into my seat was that Redford is playing Bryson. The Bill Bryson.I’ve only read a couple of Bryson’s books and plan to read more, so I’m unaware that he’d gone on some trail way into his ‘old age’. It’s the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine in the USA and the book of this adventure was published way back in 1998.The scenery is spectacular but the fun of this film is, of course the relationship between Bryson, successful with a solid, comfortable family life in New England and his opposite number, long-lost school friend, life-long philanderer, running from the law, Stephen Katz (Nolte).Bryson is portrayed as in his 60s (maybe even 70s) but he would have only been in his 40s when he went on this trail so that’s a little odd. But it makes for a better story – much is made of his age by his wife (Emma Thompson) – and I imagine if Redford is playing you in a movie, you won’t mind aging a couple of decades.As the pair set of on the trail, however, one is evidently more sprightly, Katz being an alcoholic, in ill-health and overweight is looking about 15 years older than is hiking partner. What they have in common is from many decades ago so we are privy to hearing stories of their youth and watch Katz still trying to pick up women in launderettes on the odd occasion they reach a motel rather than endure camping. We see them in all seasons and I find myself just waiting for an accident to happen in the snow or one of them having a heart attack on the edge of a cliff.None of this makes me want to hike, or walk as many of us call it – across 2180 miles. Drive maybe, although I’ve probably done some of the trail as I have journeyed from Georgia to Maine.Utterly watchable.7½/10Smile factor 8/10