A Walk in the Woods (film)
A Walk in the Woods is a film based on Bill Bryson's 1998 travel memoir about hiking the Appalachian Trail. It was directed by Ken Kwapis and released to theaters on 2015-09-02. The film is considerably more fictionalized than the book.
Personal
Having been a big fan of the book, I was curious to see how the film was. I watched it on 2020-04-28, but I was disappointed.
I don't own this film, but I have seen it.
Cast
- Robert Redford as Bill Bryson
- Nick Nolte as Stephen Katz
- Emma Thompson as Catherine Bryson
- Nick Offerman as REI Dave
- Kristen Schaal as Mary Ellen
- Mary Steenburgen as Jeannie
Review
Good
- The aerial shots of the trail are fantastic.
- I like the various inspirational songs that play throughout the film.
- Kristen Schaal is a perfect Mary Ellen.
Bad
- The depiction of trail life is inaccurate. Through-hikers don't bring huge tents and hikers are never cleanly dressed or dry.
- The movie isn't really all that interesting. There isn't much of a plot, but rather a series of jokes and gags along a hike. The book is that way as well, but it wasn't trying to be a coherent narrative. All of the moments that are meant to be intense (the bears, Beulah's husband, the ledge, etc.) are not intense.
- Unfortunately, there are a lot of really funny moments in the book that are not included in the film.
- The special effects when they're on the ledge are horrible.
- The main characters are rescued by people who passed them several days earlier going at a much faster clip. That doesn't make much sense.
- Jeannie is a pointless character that never leads to anything.
Ugly
- Nothing.
Media
Covers
US DVD cover.
Videos
Links
