Dal Sundance Film Festival 2015 - RECENSIONE ITALIANA e PREVIEW in ENGLISH by DENNIS HARVEY (www.variety.com) - Il film è stato distribuito nelle sale cinematografiche statunitensi a partire dal 2 settembre 2015. In Italia il film è stato distribuito su Netflixl'11 febbraio 2016.
Sceneggiatura:
Michael Arndt, Bill Bryson e Richard Russo
Soggetto: Dalle memorie di viaggio di Bill Bryson.
Cast: Robert Redford (Bill Bryson) Nick Nolte (Stephen Katz) Emma Thompson (Catherine Bryson) Mary Steenburgen (Jeannie) Kristen Schaal (Mary Ellen) Nick Offerman (REI Dave) R. Keith Harris (Sam Bryson) Randall Newsome (TV Host) Hayley Lovitt (Donna) Linds Edwards (Darren) Susan McPhail (Beulah)
Effetti Speciali: John Heller e Park Jae-wook (supervisori effetti visivi)
Makeup: Brian McManus (direttore makeup); Laine Trzinski (direttrice acconciature)
Casting: Mark Fincannon
Scheda film aggiornata al:
28 Settembre 2025
Sinossi:
In breve:
L'anziano scrittore Bill Bryson (Robert Redford) dell'Iowa, decide di cimentarsi in un'escursione molto impegnativa sul Sentiero degli Appalachi, lungo più di tremila chilometri. Su insistenza della moglie Catherine, che teme per la sua incolumità , l'uomo cerca quindi qualcuno con cui condividere il cammino. L'unica persona disponibile all'impresa è Stephen Katz (Nick Nolte), un vecchio amico che non vede da anni e con cui aveva affrontato un rocambolesco viaggio in Europa più di quarant'anni prima. Bill e Stephen si avventurano così in un'esperienza che riserverà loro parecchie sorprese.
In dettaglio:
Dopo aver vissuto nel Regno Unito per dieci anni, l'autore Bill Bryson è tornato negli Stati Uniti e vive nel New Hampshire. Ora, a 60 anni, vive lì in pace. Un'intervista televisiva riporta che ha pubblicato diversi libri popolari e si ipotizza che ne scriverà altri. Bryson, tuttavia, non ha piani del genere.
Gli uomini decidono che ne hanno abbastanza e terminano il loro viaggio. Quando torna comodamente a casa, Bill, esaminando la sua posta, trova una serie di cartoline di Stephen che sono state spedite dalle loro varie fermate lungo il sentiero. L'ultima recita: "Cosa c'è dopo?" Bill si siede e inizia a digitare sul suo computer, "A Walk In The Woods".
Storyline:
After living in the UK for ten years, author Bill Bryson has moved back to the US and is living in New Hampshire. Now in his 60s, he has been living there peacefully. A television interview reports that he has published several popular books and there is speculation he will be writing more. Bryson, however, has no such plans.
Bryson and his wife Catherine attend a funeral. Afterwards, he takes a stroll up to the nearby Appalachian Trail, and suddenly decides he will hike its entire length. Catherine objects, presenting many accounts of accidents and murders on the trail. She relents on the condition that he not travel alone. He agrees and searches for a friend willing to join him. Everyone declines his invitation; some declare him insane. Finally, he is contacted by Stephen Katz, an old friend who offers to be a hiking companion. Despite appearances, Stephen claims to be fit enough for the challenge. Bill's wife is unhappy with his choice, but relents.
Within less than a mile of their departure point, as groups of hikers overtake and pass them, they begin to grasp the difficulty of their ambition. Shortly after, a group of young children effortlessly runs by them up the trail, laughing and calling out to each other. Seeing others pass by so easily motivates them to carry on. Weeks pass, and they overcome obstacles and encounter interesting characters together, some friendlier and some more hostile. One day, having hiked miserably through pouring rain, they reach a hut. Carved into the log wall is an Appalachian Trail map showing the trail and their present location. They realize they have finished less than half of the trail after spending three months on it. The two ultimately trek into a restricted section posted "for experienced hikers only". While maneuvering their heavy and awkward backpacks alongside a precipitous drop, Bill trips and pulls Stephen with him down a steep, rocky cliff. They fall about fifteen feet onto a ledge spacious enough to be comfortable, but far enough below the trail to be unable to get back up to resume the hike. They spend the night there with no clear hope of rescue. The next day, they are awakened by early morning hikers who are able to get them off the ledge.
The men decide they have had enough and end their journey. When comfortably back at home, Bill, going through his mail, finds a series of post cards from Stephen that were mailed from their various stops along the trail. The last one reads: "What's next?' Bill sits down and begins typing on his computer, "A Walk In The Woods."
Ognuno dei due parte con un’idea precisa in testa, ma non è la stessa: Bill è in cerca di qualcosa, Stephen vuole riprendere le redini di un’amicizia interrottasi tempo addietro.
Ken Kwapis dirige Robert Redford, Nick Nolte ed Emma Thompson in un film che si sofferma molto sull’interazione tra i personaggi e sul viaggio interiore che i due amici compiono, poco sugli scenari che percorrono.
La passeggiata nei boschi del titolo originale fa vedere una certa quantità di verde boschivo, ma nessuna inquadratura - o movimento di macchina - del paesaggio è da mozzare il fiato, come ci si aspetterebbe, quando i nostri eroi giungono in punti strategici. Unica eccezione è la scena in cui Bill e Stephen attraversano la Diga di Fontana, che segna l’entrata nel Parco Nazionale delle Great Smoky Mountains. Per osservare qualcosina di più bisogna attendere i titoli di coda.
Il regista si è dimostrato parco nel solleticare lo
sembrano trovarsi pienamente a loro agio nei rispettivi ruoli di escursionisti, ma la sintonia tra i due c’è. Si rimane conquistati dalla loro ritrovata amicizia: per Bill la presenza di Stephen è la più giusta, onesta e sincera che avrebbe potuto desiderare.
Secondo commento critico (a cura di DENNIS HARVEY, www.variety.com)
ROBERT REDFORD AND NICK NOLTE GRUMPILY COMMUNE WITH NATURE IN THIS FILM OF BILL BRYSON'S LIGHTWEIGHT BOOK.
Robert Redford and Nick Nolte go for “A Walk in the Woods†in Ken Kwapis’ broad, bland adaptation of Bill Bryson’s 1998 tome. Like that mildly amusing travel-memoir-cum-elongated-humor-column, there’s light diversion but little substance in this tale of two grumpy old men making a predictable hash of their effort to hike the Appalachian Trail. The appeal of the cast names and the equally venerable scenic vistas should lure older audiences, though whether they’ll get out to theaters or wait for home-format delivery is an open question.
With his grandkids coming of age and peers dying off, Bill (Redford) here worries he’s losing his mojo with little time to spare; ergo his very random decision to hike the 2,200-mile trail, a determined whim that his English wife, Cathy (Emma Thompson), considers foolish and dangerous at
his age. She insists that at least he not travel alone. No one else is tempted to sign on, however, until out of the blue, Bill gets a call from fellow Iowa native Stephen Katz (Nolte), who invites himself along. Stephen hasn’t been heard from for decades, not since the duo had a youthful falling out while traveling in Europe.
Bill hasn’t been much of a hiker for a good 30 years or so. But he’s in Olympian shape compared with the careening wreck of Stephen, who tumbles off the plane in New Hampshire looking like a diabetic hobo. He’s overweight, and his status as a recovering alcoholic is a bit questionable. (There’s a whisky bottle in his rucksack.) Nonetheless, the duo soldier on to Georgia to commence their wheezing trek in the spring, intending to make it all the way to Maine before winter.
As they slog north, they have encounters
with a cartoonishly obnoxious younger backpacker (Kristen Schaal), take a few pratfalls, scare off some bears, and occasionally stop to recoup at the nearest hotel. At one of the latter, Bill flirts with an attractive innkeeper (Mary Steenburgen) while chubby chaser Katz gets in hot water pursuing a local lass who turns out to have a very jealous husband.
Casting the 78-year-old Redford lends this quest a fear-of-mortality undercurrent duly spelled out in Rick Kerb and Bill Holderman’s competent but uninspired screenplay. His character keeps insisting, “I’m not writing a book†— but it was obvious from reading Bryson’s original (penned when he was just in his 40s) that the trip was little more than an excuse to drum up some funny anecdotes for just that purpose. The material remains essentially slight, buoyed along, but given precious little surprise, by its star thesps.
Given some of the author’s zingers, Redford (who originally
planned to co-star with his iconic screen buddy, the late Paul Newman) gets to flash more crusty humor than he has in some time. Taking on his most prominent role in a few years, Nolte is entertaining but could hardly be more typecast — he’s been playing variations on this shambling rascal since “Down and Out in Beverly Hills†29 years ago. While his always phlegmy delivery is good for some laughs, it’s so raspy now that at times he’s downright unintelligible. Supporting players are given little to do, even less of it interesting.
Sitcom veteran Kwapis has seldom been an inspired bigscreen helmer —his best such effort may well be “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants†— and this workmanlike entertainment, comfortably paced and bereft of notable atmosphere, nuance or twists, does nothing to change that assessment. It’s pleasant enough cinematic comfort food, but even so, you may be hungry
again soon afterward. The pro package is inevitably highlighted by some splendid aerial location shots in John Bailey’s widescreen location lensing. Not adding a whole lot of flavor is a sometimes overamped soundtrack dominated by unmemorable rootsy rock-folk songs by indie band Lord Huron.
