As Good As It Gets

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

It is an exhilarating, distressing, funny and profound film, with one of the more memorable film scores in years,

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Bill Bryson (Robert Redford) is a travel author bored with his life. He opts to hike the Appalachian trail while he can still walk. His wife (Emma Thompson) insists he doesn't hike alone...enter Steven Katz (Nick Nolte) a crusty old frenemy who is in worse shape than Bryson. They walk on the trail and talk about old times that was rather boring. If there was any real meaning or theme in what Nolte was slurring I missed it as his drone was putting me to sleep. They were probably the only two hikers to ever encounter a non-native Grizzly on the trail. Mary Ellen (Kristen Schaal) made the film interesting for a bit, but then she left the picture. She describes the people she meets as "boring boring dumb dumb." And that pretty much summed things up. I would recommend "Wild" if you want to stay awake during a hiking film. If you loved "All is Lost" you most likely will love this one too. Guide: F-bomb. Brief oral sex. no nudity.

A great actor , when given a stereotypical role ( Winter Soldier ) does a mediocre job but with a fine story like this shines bright . after watching this hilariously funny movie , I now salute ROBERT REDFORD's comedic abilities .

Retired travel writer Robert Redford is bored. He has a beautiful house, a loving wife, Emma Thompson, and semi-affectionate grandchildren, but he's bored. His idea? Getting together with a buddy and hiking the Appalachian trail, or as he phrases it when he calls all his friends, "going for a walk in the woods." Hence the title.The only snag in his plan? None of his friends want to join him—except Nick Nolte, whom he hasn't seen in decades. They don't see eye to eye on much, but they're stuck together during this hilarious and sweet movie about finding happiness. When you're not laughing yourself silly from every line Nick Nolte delivers, you'll be able to appreciate the beautiful nature that surrounds them, and it's always great to see Robert Redford in a setting he loves so passionately. He gives a little speech about how important it is to appreciate and protect nature, and the movie wouldn't feel complete without it.I absolutely love this movie, and I can't think of anyone I wouldn't recommend it to. There isn't anyone in the world who hates Robert Redford, and there's nothing offensive in the script. It's funny, clever, thoughtful, touching, and wise.

All I could think to myself during this movie was: Bill Bryson must be so mortified.First of all, I have read ALL of his books and the Robert Redford portrayal was NOTHING like how BB comes across in his very witty and intelligent books. NOTHING! And like many other reviewers have noted, he was also much younger than RR when he did this walk.The movie was too slow and I didn't get a good feel for the main star: The Appalachian Trail.The book is a million times better in every respect. Just bypass this awful movie and read the book instead.