Travel writer Bill Bryson’s memoir, A Walk in the Woods, gets the big screen treatment in this year’s comedy-adventure smash starring veteran actors Robert Redford and Nick Nolte.
The story documents a hike along the Appalachian Trail as Bill (Redford) attempts to reconnect with his old self. His idea of a relaxing getaway trek doesn’t go according to plan as his philandering friend, Stephen Katz (Nolte), tags along for the journey.
Redford loves how the author blends humour with philosophy to make the narrative appealing to young and adult readers. He hopes to duplicate that same dynamic for cinema audiences.
“I wanted to do a comedy. I hadn’t done a comedy in a long, long time, and I kind of missed it,” the 79-year-old actor told Democracy Now. “I was doing some very serious, dramatic work, which was fine. I just wanted to do a comedy. I had done comedy on Broadway and in earlier films, and I wanted to go back to that.
“I felt that a lot of the comedy in the last few years was making its way with kind of…it was lower-grade, lower-grade comedy. It was good, it was fun, but it was kind of one-dimensional and I thought I would like to do a comedy that had pathos mixed in with it.
“This comedy was about friendship, a friendship lost for 30 years and then regained. And that journey was how it was found again, by two guys that once were very close, had a parting of ways, went in totally different directions, and came back together again because no one else would walk the trail with my character. So I was stuck with this guy I hadn’t seen in 30 years. And I just thought that’s a great story.”
The film also explores the theme of ageing.“What are you going to do with what time you have left?” Redford asks. “Are you just going to sit? One thing you don’t want to do is be a guy sitting in a rocking chair on a stoop somewhere in a bathrobe and say, ‘I wish I would’ve, I wish I could’ve.’ So you make the most of your life.”
Director: Ken Kwapis
Starring: Robert Redford, Nick Nolte, Kristen Schaal, Nick Offerman
Running time: 104 minutes
Rating: 18+
ALSO SHOWING
The Transporter Refueled (18+)
Skilled transporter Frank Martin (Ed Skrein) finds himself in a dilemma after a femme fatale named Anna kidnaps his father to compel him to take down a brutal gang of Russian human traffickers. The rules still remain: never change the deal, no names and never open the package. Directed by Camille Delamarre. Also starring Ray Stevenson and Loan Chabanol.
Ricki and the Flash (18+)
Ricki Rendazzo (Meryl Streep) leaves behind her life as a wife and mother to pursue her dream to be a rock n’ roll star. She makes her way back to Indianapolis at the request of ex-husband Pete (Kevin Kline) to help their daughter Julie through a tough time. The reunion is a disaster as Ricki is confronted by her past and shortcomings.
Na Maloom Afraad (18+)
Three dream-chasers come up with a plan to lead a better life. But their simple lives take a drastic turn after running into a host of sketchy characters including Russian mafia and a tough-talking gangster. This Urdu comedy, based in the often chaotic city of Karachi, stars Fahad Mustafa, Javed Sheikh and Mohsin Abbas Haider.
