A Walk in the Woods

A Walk in the Woods videos

Cast & Crew

Robert Redford

Bill Bryson

Nick Nolte

Stephen Katz

Emma Thompson

Catherine Bryson

Mary Steenburgen

Jeannie

Nick Offerman

REI Dave

Kristen Schaal

Mary Ellen

Chrystee Pharris

Ticket Agent

Sandra Ellis Lafferty

Widow Deborah

R. Keith Harris

Sam Bryson

Randall Newsome

TV Host

Hayley Lovitt

Donna

Linds Edwards

Darren

Susan McPhail

Beulah

Ken Kwapis

Director

Rick Kerb

Screenwriter

Bill Holderman

Screenwriter

Robert Redford

Producer

Bill Holderman

Producer

Chip Diggins

Producer

Jeremiah Samuels

Executive Producer

Jake Eberts

Executive Producer

Jay Stern

Executive Producer

Russell Levine

Executive Producer

Lee Jea Woo

Executive Producer

John Bailey

Cinematographer

Carol Littleton

Film Editing

Julie Garcés

Film Editing

Gae S. Buckley

Production Design

Leigh Leverett

Costume Design

Lynne Mitchell

Set Decoration

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Critic Reviews for A Walk in the Woods

Audience Reviews for A Walk in the Woods

• Oct 21, 2018

  The film is not the grand daddy of hiking movies or the grand slam it should have been, but it is funny and worth watching. Redford and Nolte are hilarious together and are the highlight of a very simple story. Nolte steals the film with the grumpy old man Katz, who has all the funny moments and helps this film from growing into melodramatic. Redford is always watchable and here he gives a suttle performance that never gets in the way of the chemistry of the two central characters. The film fails when it forces the comedy moments, like the annoying hitchhiker or the red car riding around looking for Katz. The filmmakers only needed to have the camera sitting on the two leads The filmmaker might not have been the most inspired choice but this film is good for a night in or a long flight. 19/10/2018.

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  brendan n Super Reviewer
• Aug 02, 2018

  The story of author Bill Bryson's hike along the appalachian trail does have traces of his humor, which his readers will certainly appreciate. Additionally there is some "dad humor" as well, harmless and flat, but somewhat likable. The film flows rather well, some editing and camera decisions feel a tad random, though. Still, no one should regret taking this trip with fine actors like Redford and Nolte. Just the ending of the hike feels a bit sudden and anticlimatic.

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  Super Reviewer
• Jan 13, 2017

  Whether you have a film like Ex Machina winning the Oscar for best visual effects over films like Mad Max: Fury Road or The Hurt Locker taking precedence over behemoth's like Avatar for best picture, independent films have always had a way of winning over the hearts of many viewers. While not as widely viewed or praised, A Walk in the Woods is a very likeable indie gem that nobody really talks about. Sure, it received a shocking box office return, raking in almost $30,000,000.00, but the word of mouth never spread. This is a film that would attract an audience over the age of 50, but I myself found it quite enjoyable. A Walk in the Woods may not be deserving of high praise, but it's a harmless tale of reconnecting. Released in 2015, A Walk in the Woods follows Bill Bryson (Robert Redford), an elderly novelist who doesn't have much excitement left in his life. Wanting to hike a trail in his hometown, he seeks companionship as his wife wouldn't let him make the trek otherwise. Stephen Katz (Nick Nolte) is the man who seems up to the task, so the two of them venture out into the wilderness to find themselves. This truly is just a simple tale of reconnecting with old friends and exploring parts of yourself that you wish you had in the past. Sadly, there isn't enough substance here to call it a great film, but Robert Redford and Nick Nolte are so likeable as these characters that this average film becomes quite enjoyable. While watching this film, it's very hard to ignore the low-budget feel, especially if you are into filmmaking as much as I am. Some of the backgrounds are obviously on a sound stage to keep these actors protected and the locations in this film are slim to none. A Walk in the Woods is a very self-aware and contained film, as to what its limits hold. If I'm being completely honest, I found myself picking out the real scenery from the fake scenery, simply due to the fact that the dialogue felt so simple most of the time. Having said that, their dialogue feels extremely fresh at times, due to the commitment of these two very talented actors. This film may seem like a movie that is only full understood by someone over the age of 50, but anyone who enjoys likeable chemistry, a relaxing story, or slice-of-life storytelling, the you may just find yourself enjoying A Walk in the Woods quite a bit. Watching Redford and Nolte banter through the woods for a solid 90 minutes was well worth the watch on its own. This will never be a film that will be remembered as a classic, but it sure beats the old-age jokes from a film like Last Vegas, where actors like Morgan Freeman or Kevin Klein are just present for a good time and a paycheque. As simple as this story is, it's definitely worth a watch and doesn't deserve to be as forgotten as it has become over the past year or so. A Walk in the Woods shouldn't be criticized for its simplicity, which is what some critics have said about it, because a film like this can't really do much more than it does. It promises an enjoyable time through the woods with two old friends who need a little excitement in their old age, and it delivers just that. Nothing more and nothing less. This is a perfectly fine and disposable film for anyone who wants a quick smile on their face when they have nothing else to watch. Well-directed for the most part, very well-acted by these two veterans, and the script is as competent as it should be for this type of film. I didn't find myself jumping up and down and needing to recommend it to everyone, but for how likeable it is, it's sad that it hasn't been seen by many viewers. A Walk in the Woods is an enjoyable little flick.

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  kj p Super Reviewer
• Jun 19, 2016

  The consensus for this film says that a road trip movie starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte should be more compelling than this. And I definitely can see that, it's just not as interesting of a movie as it could've been given the leads. Robert Redford and Nick Nolte are both really good in the film, but the writing doesn't really do them any favors. I just find the narrative to be far too broad, too concerned with appealing to a wider audience due to, I'm assuming, Robert's and Nick's ages, 79 and 75 respectively. The fact of the matter is that this type of movie doesn't really appeal to a young audience. I mean I'm 28, but I appreciate movies for what they offer, not cause I want to watch something that appeals specifically to me or my age group. But, this is not a movie that's gonna appeal to people who watch supehero movies casually. If your top five movies of all time are all part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, then this film isn't gonna be to your liking, even if it ended up being good. And I'm not saying that that's the type of audience they wanted to get, but they were clearly shooting for lower than their demographic should've been, so it's a film that's somewhat stuck in a limbo as it comes to that. It wants to be introspective about getting old, how your life changes and how it's more about medicine and holding on to your youth, but it does so in a way that's not nearly as introspective these characters deserved. There's also one surprisingly mean spirited joke here, which really feels out of place in this context. It's not that the joke is bad in and of itself, well I mean it is, it just doesn't work in the type of movie that this clearly wants to be. And that's another thing, as far as a comedy film goes, this isn't exactly that funny. Redford and Nolte do have great chemistry with each other and they really are the best part of flick. And it's not like the journey on the Appalachian trail itself is really that amazing. I mean, it's just your regular road trip movie. The Way, from Emilio Estevez, offers an emotionally engaging experience. You don't really connect with any of the characters in this film and you're not really given any reason to, if I'm being completely honest. It is what it is, but I didn't find myself caring for either Katz or Bryson. It's not that I'm saying the movie is bad, because it's not, it just falls short of what it should've been. At best, this is an average movie and that's what the rating will reflect. But I'm honestly a little disappointed that this film played out the way it did, because it could've been, at the very least, a good movie, if not a great one, if more of an effort was put into putting together a stronger script with better character development. I can't recommend this, but you could do far worse. Though if you can find The Way, which I mentioned in this review, then watch that instead. It's considerably better than this film will ever be.

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  jesse o Super Reviewer