Focus Features | USA | 110 minutes
Ang Lee‘s newest film Taking Woodstock is a minor, yet admirable endeavor. Over the years, Lee has crafted a handful of excellent films like Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Brokeback Mountain and while this isn’t on par with those films, it’s still a worthy edition to his excellent filmography. Aside from the brilliant director, the film features an across-the-board tremendous cast and a very intriguing story. Those elements don’t quite add up to the triumph that this film perhaps should have been, but it still remains a consistently entertaining and involving look back at the foundation of the infamous Woodstock Music Festival.
The story revolves around Elliot Teichberg (Demetri Martin), who is constantly struggling when it comes to helping out his family, putting a major damper on his ability to explore his sexuality. When his parents’ motel business finds itself in dire financial straits, he must find a way to raise money quick. After reading about a concert being canceled in Walkill, Elliot decides to bring the concert to his home town and put his parents’ fledgling motel at the center of it all. While most of the townsfolk are against the idea of having such a massive concert in their humble town, Elliot makes it possible due to the fact he is the head of the Bethel Chamber of Commerce. Having the legal permit in hand and the land acquired through a local farmer named Max Yasgur (Eugene Levy), the concert can now take place. With the mass crowds coming into town, Elliot is sure that he can save his parents’ business.
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While many expect the film’s main focal point to be the festival itself, that isn’t the case. It’s more so an examination of the man partly responsible for Woodstock. Teichberg is that man. He arranged for the concert to take place in his town and on his neighbor’s farm. He is an engaging character due to how much a simple concert effects him and his emotions. Elliot decides to make drastic life decisions during these three days of peace. This factor of his character arc is the most satisfying, while his relationship with his parents lack an emotional connection. He sacrifices parts of his life to help out his parents and yet his mother is ungrateful. This lacks genuine resonance since his mother is portrayed in an over-the-top fashion. This relationship is intended to be heartfelt, but it isn’t. There is a resolution to Elliot’s relationship with his mother in the third act, except its rushed and unfulfilled.
As stated earlier, there is a fantastic ensemble cast here. Comedian Martin delivers an exemplary performance as Teichberg. He plays the role quiet and low key, but it works. Martin perfectly represents the stressfulness of his situation. Liev Schreiber also gives an excellent performance as Vilma, a cross-dressing war veteran. He’s a true scene stealer and is mostly used as the comic relief. This role could have easily come off as a parodied cliche, but Schreiber avoids the bait and plays it perfectly. Unfortunately, an array of fantastic actors such as Emile Hirsch and Jeffery Dean Morgan are wasted . They’re actually good in their roles, but the roles themselves are stuck as merely underdeveloped footnotes in the story.
Unsurprisingly, Lee brings his trademark lush, gorgeous camerawork and an impressive visual aesthetic to an otherwise ho-hum film. Though Lee rarely seems interested in showing the actual concert itself, when he does he uses his camera to show the mood of Woodstock. (For example, there’s this incredible tracking shot following Elliot on a motorcycle going up to the concert. Its a peaceful and calm sequence, used to convey the overall mood and message of the concert.) Lee also provides the film with a very naturalistic look. The film only pertains to distinct colors during an acid trip scene which doesn’t add much to the film, but it works due to the distinct colorful imagery that plays out on screen. Lee never fully portrays the concert, but during these moments he shows the inherent “mellowness” and wonder of it all.
Thanks largely to Lee’s splendid direction, a few fine performances, and an involving story, this is overall a very good film. All told, Ang Lee and co. have crafted a highly entertaining flashback to the sixties. A few of the film’s shortcomings could have been fixed including too many actors being wasted and the rushed third act. If these faults were less apparent then this could have been a much better film. Taking Woodstock isn’t one of the best films of the year, but it is a good way to end the summer season.
8 out of 10
What did you think of Taking Woodstock?Are you excited to see it if you haven’t?