Much like its two main characters, “A Walk in the Woods” is a film that’s comfortable and familiar.
There are no surprises to be had while watching it; we’ve heard the platitudes it espouses ad nauseum; and the events that take place are predictable but pleasant in being so. This is the cinematic equivalent of a big plate of meatloaf and mashed potatoes — it’s good enough, it’s filling and it’s forgotten as soon as the next meal/movie comes along.
Based on the memoir by Bill Bryson, the film takes a lighthearted look at his midlife crisis as well as the radical act he takes to cure his malaise. Much to his wife’s chagrin, he decides to hike the Appalachian Trail, a mere 2,118-mile journey — or as one of his more encouraging friends puts it — 5 million steps taken over the course of five months. This radical plan is brought on when he realizes that much of the successful pieces of travel writing, upon which he has built a fruitful career, were written long ago, as well as the fact that friends and acquaintances, who were once hale and hearty, are now sick and dying.
For a full review, go to: http://www.news-gazette.com/arts-entertainment/local/2015-09-10/chuck-koplinski-visit-modern-fairy-tale-grimm-est-sort.html
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