Advertisements for “Taking Woodstock” read, “It’s a trip,” and though the destination is worth it, the road to get there is a long and heavy wait.
Director Ang Lee (“Brokeback Mountain”) is best known for capturing the humanistic and psychological struggle of all his characters. The film is filled with scenes and nuances of the era, utilizing many effects to capture the feeling that came with 1969.
Following the actual 40th anniversary of the real Woodstock, the film takes the whole life-altering experience of the festival and focuses it on the coming-of-age of its central character, Elliot Tiber (Demetri Martin), the man responsible for making Woodstock happen.
Based off Tiber’s best-selling autobiography of the same name, the movie follows his struggle to live his own life while fulfilling an obligation to aid his parents in their ailing motel, the El Monaco, in White Lake, New York.
As head of White Lake’s Chamber of Commerce, Tiber approves the permit to hold the Woodstock Festival in White Lake after the festival loses its permit to an adjacent town.
In his first full-length movie as a lead character, actor-comedian Martin plays the awkward, waiting-to-get-out-of-his-shell part nicely. There is an understanding to his situation in trying to follow his own path despite a rather forced obligation to his parents.
But it is only when Woodstock comes into his life that Tiber and the movie audience begin to wake up.
The audience is able to sense this conflict in the beginning of the film as it drags along Tiber’s experience with his overbearing mother (Imelda Staunton). In fact, her character as a grouchy immigrant shows the most interesting transformation and dramatic comedy in the movie. Just watch her eat a “special” brownie and see what happens.
Following the approval of the festival, chaos ensues as the town is literally flooded by hippies of the clothed and nude variety. With the influx of people creating massive traffic jams and food shortages, Lee truly captures the communal peace, love and psychedelic trips that defined the era.
He accomplishes this not only through small vignettes like Tiber’s experience with LSD but also through a technique of splitting the screen into two points of view. Though the view may create a little confusion, it is also an interesting way to effectively provide an insider’s perspective of all the different elements going on within a single scene.
Other recognizable characters in the film include Emile Hirsh (“Into the Wild”), Eugene Levy (“American Pie”) and Liev Schreiber (“Wolverine”).
Schreiber, who naturally extends a physical appearance like that of Rambo, plays cross-dressing bodyguard Vilma, who aids Tiber in becoming comfortable with his sexuality. All these minor characters add some richness to the film’s central storyline, but otherwise they are one-dimensional.
Besides the chaotic conflict of the concert’s overall planning and the town’s sudden population growth, Tiber is also trying to come to terms with his sexuality, which is downplayed a little too heavily in the film.
Don’t expect to ever see the actual concert; the film is all about what happens backstage, behind the throngs of concertgoers and promoters. It goes all the way back to the transformation of the individual.
““ Denise Guerra
E-mail Guerra at dguerra@media.ucla.edu.