I was expecting more from "A Walk in the Woods," starring Robert Redford and Nick Nolte, based on a book written by Bill Bryson chronicling his attempt to hike the full length of the Appalachian Trail, from Georgia to Maine, accompanied by an overweight, recovering alcoholic pal. Bryson was in his mid-forties when he set off on his mini-adventure. And while Redford, who plays him, is exceedingly fit for his 79 years, an undertaking like this means something very different for a man some thirty years older. And his co-star, Nolte, playing his wheezing ne'er-do-well friend, Stephen Katz, is 74 (although he looks older). You can't help but wonder how these two are going to walk any distance let alone carry their heavy packs.
Yet age is barely an issue in this movie. In Wild, we watch as Cheryl Strayed (Reese Witherspoon) first become a victim of her backpack and then finally its master. After all, a backpack contains a miniature household and it is awkward and heavy, yet Bryson and Katz hoist their with little problem. And no blisters though they do fall into a stream. The numerous betrayals of an aging body don't matter so much to these characters, even though they should. The appearance doesn't match the reality. And their conversations do not allow for introspection or self-knowledge, instead, a series of jokes about all the things older men can't do that younger men take for granted or reminiscing about their sexual antics when they were much younger. Director Ken Kwapis keeps the tone light although Redford isn't loose enough to be funny. The cinematography is beautiful, but I can't recommend this 'Grumpy Old Men Go Camping.'
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