A Walk in the Woods

The Appalachian Trail is one of the most notable hiking trails in North America and features 2,200 miles of beautiful scenery, beginning from the northern tip of Georgia and ending in the middle of Maine. It’s a trailer that roughly 25% of thru-hikers, hikers who walk the entire distance end-to-end in a single season, complete. A Walk in the Woods is one such story of two men who attempt a thru-hike of the A.T. on a journey of self discovery and is based on Bill Bryson’s book by the same name. While the trail itself is a daunting challenge, the film depicts it as the title suggests; a walk in the woods.

Travel writer Bill Bryson (Robert Redford) has finally settled down back in the United States after decades of exploring the world. Not to be content with his “retirement,” he sets out to hike the Appalachian Trail, much to the opposition from his wife (Emma Thompson). Rather than go at it alone, he decides to partner with his old friend Stephen Katz (Nick Nolte), an out of shape and recovering alcoholic, who just so happens to be the only one as crazy as Bill to go on the trip in the first place. Together they start off from Georgia and plan to hike all the way to Maine in the hopes of showing everyone they’re not just two old guys who are just counting down the days until they die.

Maybe it’s because I am a former Boy Scout and have done plenty of hiking myself, but I was hoping A Walk in the Woods would portray the A.T. as the challenge that it is. Instead, it’s nothing but two old guys turning everything into a joke. Even serious situations like being attacked by bears or getting stranded are met with humor. I’m all for comedy, but it all felt way overdone, especially given how dangerous the A.T. really can be. I can just imagine someone seeing this film and deciding that they’re perfectly capable of doing a thru-hike and then finding themselves injured or something worse because they thought it was just some casual stroll through the woods with rest stops, diners, and motels always within a few miles.

Even ignoring its less than serious depiction of the Appalachian Trail, the film fails to utilize its stellar cast. In addition to Redford, Nolte, and Thompson, the film has appearances by Nick Offerman, Kristen Schaal, and Mary Steenburgen. They all give solid performances, but they’re all so brief that they could have been done by almost anyone. Thankfully, Redford, Nolte, and to some degree Thompson, were able to carry much of the film.

A Walk in the Woods struggles to capture the beauty and serenity of hiking the Appalachian Trail, instead reducing everything to the punchline of a joke. It does the trail a disservice, depicting it as a “walk in the woods” rather than a true hiking adventure.