Hollywood is currently obsessed with hiking trails. Last year Jean-Marc Vallee moved us with the spiritually moving drama "Wild" and this year Ken Kwapis gives us "A Walk in the Woods." Both films follow characters that decide to hike for personal reasons. However, the difference is "Wild" gave us a broken character who was looking to rejuvenate and restart her life. "A Walk in the Woods" gives us a character who is living a perfect life with nothing really wrong and whose journey is left unexplained. The end result is a movie that lacks focus and a clear tone.

Starring Robert Redford, Emma Thompson and Nick Nolte, "A Walk in the Woods" tells the story of Bill Bryson who returns to the U.S. after two decades in England and decides the best way to connect with his homeland is to hike the Appalachian Trail with one of his oldest friends.

The film feels self-explanatory from the synopsis given by IMDb, except it is never really clear why he makes the journey out to the Appalachian Trail. The only really clear thing is that he sees a sign of the Appalachian Trail as he is walking around his neighborhood. After that he decides that is what he will do next.

There are hints that age and mortality might be on his mind, but his motivations remain unexplored fully.

Once he makes the decision, the movie wastes 15 minutes on preparations and deciding who he will go with since his wife does not want him to go alone. At that point everything feels tacky such as the articles about people dying on the trail. When Stephen Katz (Nolte) comes into the film, the director tries to add a level of comedy through this broken character who has wasted his life drinking. The character continuously makes remarks about his past trips with Bryson and about woman who he has slept with. But the intro is way too long and it clobbers up the point of this supposed journey that these two men will go on.

Once on the journey begins, instead of making it a spiritual or a life affirming journey, the two constantly meet up with random strangers who are either dumb or trying to be funny. For example at one point they meet Mary Ellen, a lonely hiker. However, she criticizes everyone and talks too much. She also has a tendency to sing Bruno Mars songs terribly. While this is supposed to be comic it feels contrived and overblown. The same happens when the Bryson and Katz decide to hitchhike. They meet a couple of drunks who are not careful while driving. It is as if everyone on these trips is crazy.

The script writers also add a temptation for Bryson. When the two stop at a motel to rest for a few days, Bryson becomes infatuated with the owner. The addition of the character leads to nothing more than for Bryson to remember his wife and to decide to quit the journey. But Bryson is too kind of a man and perfect to even kiss the woman. While the script moves away from the clichés of a man cheating on his wife, it only reminds the audience that nothing is really wrong with this character. Additionally, Bryson constantly remembers his wife while he is on the trip. The end of this chapter in the story feels wasted and underdeveloped.

Katz's side story with a woman he runs into at the laundry is another diversion from the theme of this film. Rather than show how Katz is improving, he only gets into more problems with the woman's husband.

In the end the film leads to nothing more than a series of events that add up to little. Bryson says at one point that he never quits what he starts but the ending is the opposite of this phrase. There is never a sense of growth or change. Bryson's journey is never clear and while the two recover their lost friendship it feels like something is missing.

The movie is somewhat watchable thanks in part to the casting of Redford and Nolte as they share some good chemistry. Thompson is also good in her short role. However, by the end of the film, one feels cheated and can only hope these great actors get better material that expose their true talent.