Comedian / actor Demetri Martin plays Elliot Teichberg, the son of immigrant hotel owners Jake (Henry Goodman) and Sonia (Imelda Staunton). They live in the upper New York State area of White Lake, and fate drops a truly intriguing prospect into Elliots' lap. He's been looking for ways to bring tourists and revenue to the area, and there are individuals looking to launch a massive series of rock concerts. Of course, he's unprepared for a lot of the developments that come from so much activity and so many people in the area.
Overall, this is a pretty good slice-of-American-life drama (with some comedic touches) that will naturally have the most resonance for any viewer who actually lived through this era, especially those that got to witness the events taking place. Director Ang Lee does a good job re-creating various sights and sounds of rural America circa 1969, and does it without resorting to using any archive footage. This may come as a disappointment to some viewers, but clearly here the cause is to focus on the people that were on the periphery of the action, and not all of the major players.
Martin is appealing in the lead role, although, truth be told, his character is not the most interesting one in the picture. Goodman and Staunton are the heart and soul of the picture as the parents; she's so uptight it's hilarious. Eugene Levy also has a good role as an affable local dairy farmer who's willing to rent out the large amount of land that he owns. There's a good variety of capable and familiar actors on hand, although some of them don't get that much to do: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Emile Hirsch, Adam LeFevre, Dan Fogler, Jonathan Groff (another standout as the charismatic concert organizer Michael Lang), Mamie Gummer, Richard "John-Boy" Thomas, Liev Schreiber, Paul Dano, Kelli Garner.
The soundtrack is pretty damn eclectic, the use of the various New York State locations is impressive, and overall "Taking Woodstock" takes an interesting approach to real-life history by focusing on background players (the concerts certainly were well documented in their time).
The film was released in 2009 to coincide with Woodstocks' 40th anniversary, and now here we are, 50 years later, an appropriate time for this viewer to check out this affectionate little tribute.
Seven out of 10.
Overall, this is a pretty good slice-of-American-life drama (with some comedic touches) that will naturally have the most resonance for any viewer who actually lived through this era, especially those that got to witness the events taking place. Director Ang Lee does a good job re-creating various sights and sounds of rural America circa 1969, and does it without resorting to using any archive footage. This may come as a disappointment to some viewers, but clearly here the cause is to focus on the people that were on the periphery of the action, and not all of the major players.
Martin is appealing in the lead role, although, truth be told, his character is not the most interesting one in the picture. Goodman and Staunton are the heart and soul of the picture as the parents; she's so uptight it's hilarious. Eugene Levy also has a good role as an affable local dairy farmer who's willing to rent out the large amount of land that he owns. There's a good variety of capable and familiar actors on hand, although some of them don't get that much to do: Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Emile Hirsch, Adam LeFevre, Dan Fogler, Jonathan Groff (another standout as the charismatic concert organizer Michael Lang), Mamie Gummer, Richard "John-Boy" Thomas, Liev Schreiber, Paul Dano, Kelli Garner.
The soundtrack is pretty damn eclectic, the use of the various New York State locations is impressive, and overall "Taking Woodstock" takes an interesting approach to real-life history by focusing on background players (the concerts certainly were well documented in their time).
The film was released in 2009 to coincide with Woodstocks' 40th anniversary, and now here we are, 50 years later, an appropriate time for this viewer to check out this affectionate little tribute.
Seven out of 10.