"A Walk in the Woods" has its share of amusing moments, and it is always a pleasure to watch Robert Redford and Nick Nolte, not to mention Emma Thompson and Mary Steenburgen. Nevertheless, stunning scenery and okay dialogue can only get you so far. Our senior citizens, Bill Bryson (Robert Redford) and Stephen Katz (Nick Nolte of "48 Hrs"),set out to hike the Appalachian Trail, and there are some good moments among the routine ones. The encounter with the bears is the high point of their shenanigans. The bears raid their camping area, and our heroes stand up in their little tents and shout back at them to run them. At one point, Nolte romances a two-ton Tessie in a Laundromat when they take time out to sleep in separate motel rooms. The woman asks Stephen to help her remove her panties from the washing machine and one thing leads to another, and he finds himself pursued by her jealous husband. Emma Thompson plays Redford's wife. She is a retired nurse that he met during his residence in England. She is flatly against the hike and insists that he take somebody with him. She loads him down with articles about the perils of hiking, the diseases that can be contracted by woodland creatures, and the possibility of foul play, but Redford perseveres and his old friend, who owes him $600, asks to come along. Mind you, our duo crap out and never finish the hike. I cannot imagine what Redford, who co-produced, and Nolte, who co-starred, saw in the Rick Kerb & Bill Holderman screenplay. The running joke is Stephen keeps prodding Bryson about the book that he is going to write, and Bryson tells him that he has no plans to pen their journey. "A Walk in the Woods" concludes with Bryson sitting down at his laptop to start the book. If you object to profanity and questionable subject matter, "A Walk in the Woods" might not be your choice of entertainment. Altogether, this Ken Kwapis movie qualifies as a potboiler. At one point during their rugged hike, our heroes lose their footing and tumble down the side of a trail—not very far but far enough that they cannot climb back up for lack of anything to grab a hold of—and they find themselves on a high point over looking a river gurgling below them. I thought about a better Robert Redford movie movie "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." Oh, well, they cannot all be memorable. The film boasts great cinematography, a sturdy cast, and solid production values, but the material is strictly lightweight.

Based on the 1998 book/memoir of the same name by Bill Bryson, 'A Walk in the Woods' is a sweet, simple & uncomplicated film, that turns out to be nice fun. Its also supremely well-acted, although that barely comes as a surprise, since the performers on-screen are legends.

'A Walk in the Woods' Synopsis: After spending two decades in England, Bill Bryson returns to the U.S., where he decides the best way to connect with his homeland is to hike the Appalachian Trail with one of his oldest friends.

'A Walk in the Woods' is sweet look at age, adventure & friendship. Watching the senior protagonists go on a trip in the wilderness, offers moments of warmth & subtle humour. However, the film plays it safe at all times & hence it turns out be a good watch, but nothing memorable. Its harmless, but never remarkable.

Bill Holderman & Michael Arndt's Screenplay is nicely done. although its too simple in totality. Ken Kwapis's Direction is passable. Cinematography captures the wilderness well. Editing is sharp. Nathan Larson's Score is super.

Performance-Wise: Robert Redford & Nick Nolte are delightful. They create a fabulous on-screen camaraderie & carry the film on their ever-reliable shoulders. Emma Thompson shines in a brief role. Mary Steenburgen, however, is tiresomely typecast.

On the whole, 'A Walk in the Woods' is worth a watch.

"A Walk in the Woods" is precisely what I expected from a comedy-drama about two geezers hiking across the Appalachian Trail as a means of reacquainting themselves with the soil of their homeland. This is a film for the often neglected baby-boomer crowd that doesn't get out to see films quite often, mainly because most of what's out doesn't appeal to them. Amidst the noise of "Straight Outta Compton," the mind-numbing nonsense of "Hitman: Agent 47" and "The Transporter: Refueled," there's this low-key gem that provides for a restful trip to the theater.

The film is a biopic of author Bill Bryson (Robert Redford),who has lived out the last two decades exploring Britain and authoring books before returning to New Hampshire and living peacefully with his wife. In his sixties, he has put writing to the side, living out the last years of his life in solitude and tranquility, but is suddenly moved by the death of a friend enough to have one last adventure in him. Spontaneously, he comes up with the idea to hike over 2,000 miles along the Appalachian Trail as a testament to the will of a person and to become reacquainted with the soil he left decades ago.

He inquires numerous friends, most of whom dismiss him in rude or casual ways, and figures that he'll have no one to embark on this journey with. Again, out of nowhere, Stephen Katz (Nick Nolte) a former friend from Bill's homestate of Iowa, phones and vocalizes his excitement about the trip. However, upon meeting one another, we see that Bill, a lean, well-built man, even for sixty, poses a stark contrast to Stephen, a portly, unkempt alcoholic in remission with the voice of a phlegm-filled smoker and the look of a street bum. The two set course for the long haul ahead of them by packing heavily and working to rekindle the fire that was their friendship.

No matter which way you dissect the film, "A Walk in the Woods" belongs to Redford and Nolte. Here are two veteran actors who, much like their characters, have a great deal of experience under their belts and know how to command a screen. Giving these actors the Appalachian Trail as their playground is like giving a seasoned artist a paintbrush and as much free time as he or she needs; they will just do what they do best and surprise you every step of the way.

Screenwriters Rick Kerb and Bill Holderman, working off of Bryson's biography of the same name, exhaust the humor possibilities of Redford and Nolte, and while a handful come in the form of situational comedy, most come from their casual conversations and musings on life. Redford's conservative, mild-mannered presence contrasted with Nolte's vulgar, brutally honest demeanor, with a voice that seems to speak from the realms of pain, doubt, and years of alcohol dependency, create the age-old contrast in a buddy movie. Looking past formula and basic structure, Redford and Nolte know how to make this simple script work and that is by way of charm and emphasis on character and life experience.

This is a more straight-forward film than last year's "Wild," which, while very strong, was bogged down by a heavy emphasis on symbolism and too much exposition. Here, the humor in the film is consistent enough to call this a comedy, and the drama is just enough to make you feel without being overwhelmed. Much like the chemistry on display here, "A Walk in the Woods" is a decidedly amiable picture, predicated off of simplicities and amiable charm that's good for a few chuckles and a peaceful close to the summer of a wide variety of strong and memorable films.