Anna Bowman is a senior English and telecommunications major and writes 'Film Annalysis' for the Daily News. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper. Write to Anna at aabowman@bsu.edu.
If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to hike the Appalachian Trail with your feet bleeding, back aching, eyes straining and energy running low, look no further. "A Walk in the Woods" will give you all that, and much like the trail, it too is never-ending. From the disappointing visuals to the poorly written script, "A Walk in the Woods" is little more than what the title suggests.
The film is about Bill Bryson, a famous travel novelist, and his real-life journey on the Appalachian Trail with an old friend. From that description, I expected there to be several breathtaking shots of the mountains and trees surrounding them. I’m sorry to say that I remained firmly unimpressed with the visuals the entire time. That’s not to say some of the shots weren’t absolutely beautiful—I mean it is the Appalachian Trail, but for something so grand and full of life, the camera barely treats it as such. And even if the shots weren’t great, there’s always the phrase, “fix it in post.” Editing can’t do much for camerawork, but it can bring out some color and make what little they had more presentable. Nonetheless, Ken Kwapis, the film's director, did not seem to pick up on this strategy, resulting in even more disappointment.
Although he has had much success in the TV industry, with episodes of The Office, Freaks and Geeks and Parks and Recreation under his belt, it seems as though Ken Kwapis’s directing success ends there. That’s not to say he hasn’t directed movies before—he directed "He’s Just Not That Into You," "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants," "License To Wed"… need I go on? "A Walk in the Woods" is just another movie to add to his solidly mediocre list.
As far as the humor goes, I’d like to give "A Walk in the Woods" a participation medal for its efforts at cracking a joke or two. If this movie had a more direct audience, things might have been easier for the writing staff. However, it appears as though they were trying to win over both the young and the old with the script and as a result, lost everyone. For example, they use walking into a glass door as a gag, which seems very out of place. I expected to laugh at the back-and-forth banter and cutting repartee from a movie about two men on a long journey, but sadly, both were absent.
As for the cast, it couldn’t have been better—in theory. You’ve got Robert Redford and Nick Nolte as the forerunners with brief appearances by Nick Offerman, Emma Thompson, Kristen Schaal and Mary Steenburgen, but their talents are barely touched—wasted, if you ask me. The dialogue they were given was forgettable and none of them, with the exception of Thompson, have any sort of conflict involved with their parts. Redford and Nolte were given more to work with, but in some scenes I almost got the feeling they didn’t want to be there. As for their collaboration, Redford and Nolte play well together, but I don’t foresee any sequels in their future. For a friendship that started over thirty years ago and has travelled through many different countries, they seem little more than business acquaintances for most of the movie. It’s only until they are struck with a life or death situation that the script forces them to have a sentimental moment.
There is little more to say about "A Walk in the Woods" than the fact that it was average, and perhaps an hour and a half too long.
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