Taking Woodstock

Taking Woodstock
2009 - Focus Features
Directed By Ang Lee



SYNOPSIS

Elliot (Demetri Martin) works at his parents motel in upstate New York. As the president of the local chamber of commerce, he allows a permit for a music festival that winds up drawing half a million people... and the ire of the townspeople.



MY THOUGHTS

Ang Lee strikes again.
Each film Ang Lee makes couldn't be more different than the last. His previous three: Lust, Caution; Brokeback Mountain; and Hulk. Taking Woodstock is light and amusing.... two traits that couldn't be further from those films.

One trait that pervades ALL of his films are the humanness of the characters. Everyone seems as real as you or me. No one is an actor playing a part. Only some of that can be achieved by a good script. A director working closely and expertly with his actors can achieve this, and with his track record Ang Lee is very successful at this.

Demetri Martin excels in his first major acting role because of this. He provides an understated center for the crazy goings-on around him.

It would be impossible to tell the whole story of Woodstock and the film succeeds by limiting it to the story of Elliot Tiber. This little story gives the tale an anchor to build upon. We never feel cheated that we don't see the iconic stage (except from extreme long shots) or hear the actual music... but it feels like we're there nonetheless.

The film pays homage to many classic scenes from the documentary Woodstock and several famous photographs, but all this is done in the background and never weighs down the narrative. This was exactly the way Lee handled all the 1970's kitsch in The Ice Storm. Taking Woodstock also utilizes some split-screen shots that ape the classic film and are used in clever and effective ways.

In a lesser director's hand, Taking Woodstock could be a mess. But Ang Lee has another winner.