A WALK IN THE WOODS (15, 104 mins)

Robert Redford, Nick Nolte, Emma Thompson, Mary Steenburgen, Kristen Schaal, Nick Offerman.

Director: Ken Kwapis.

Released: September 18 (UK & Ireland)

FOR more than 30 years, Iowan-born journalist Bill Bryson has popularised the art of travel writing.

He has lived on this side of the Atlantic for the majority of that time and his affectionate tour of the British Isles, documented in the 1995 book Notes From A Small Island, painted a rich and frequently hilarious portrait of a proud, stoic and self-effacing nation, which embraces the present and past.

Bryson returned to America for several years after the book's publication and during this period, he hiked the physically demanding Appalachian Trail with good friend Stephen Katz, which provided the inspiration for the book A Walk In The Woods.

Ken Kwapis' film version retains the writer's wry sense of humour and episodic structure, and provides Nick Nolte with a peach of a part as the crotchety sidekick, who wheezes and puffs in Bryson's shadow as they wander the 2,200 miles separating Georgia and Maine.

Imagine two ill-prepared, grouchy old men undertaking the same physical exertions as Reese Witherspoon in the Oscar nominated biographical drama Wild and you'll be well prepared for this hugely entertaining trip through the sprawling American outdoors.

Nick Nolte as Katz 

Basingstoke Gazette:

Robert Redford lends his dashing good looks to the lead role of family man Bryson, who hopes to get himself out of a rut by trekking the Appalachian Trail.

"Seriously Bill, even for you it's ridiculous!" despairs his wife Catherine (Emma Thompson).

Unexpectedly, old travelling companion Katz (Nick Nolte) agrees to accompany Bill and the two men - who got on each other's nerves on an earlier expedition - stuff their backpacks to capacity for the obstacles ahead.

The quest begins in the gentle sunshine of April and Katz entertains Bill with his modest requirements for a bed partner ("a heartbeat and a full set of limbs") and a confession about his struggles with sobriety.

"There's this hole in my life where drinking used to be," he laments.

When Jeannie (Mary Steenburgen), the proprietor of a motel, flirts with Bill during the walk, Katz encourages an extra-marital dalliance, but the writer remains faithful to Catherine.

"One woman all these years? That can't be good for you," growls Katz.

A Walk In The Woods rests on the sturdy shoulders of Redford and Nolte and they are a delicious double-act, relishing the barbs in Rick Kerb and Bill Holderman's sure-footed script.

Thompson sparkles in her limited screen time and there is a vivid supporting performance from Kristen Schaal as a chatterbox hiker on the trail, who drives the two men to distraction.

Kwapis savours the comical set pieces including Katz's laundromat seduction of a lady whose silky smalls are snagged in one of the washing machines.

Hearty guffaws are nicely balanced with moments of introspection and regret, making us wish this wonderful walk in the woods lasted longer than 104 minutes.

7/10

Damon Smith