Rating: 6/10

Director: Ang Lee
Writer: James Schamus (screenplay) and Elliot Tiber (book)
Cast: Demetri Martin, Henry Goodman, Imelda Staunton, Emile Hirsch, Eugene Levy, Liev Schreiber

There’s a saying about Woodstock and the 1960s that goes something like, “If you remember it, you weren’t there.” Well, there’s not much about TAKING WOODSTOCK worth remembering, whether you’re drug addled or not.

The new film from director Ang Lee is based on a true story, the memoirs of Elliot Tiber, “Taking Woodstock: A True Story of a Riot, a Concert, and a Life.” Comedian Demetri Martin plays Elliot, a homosexual interior designer who spends his weeks in New York City and his weekends in the Catskills, helping his parents maintain their dilapidated motel, the El Monaco. To bring in tourists, he holds an annual music fest at the motel that’s usually a few locals sitting on lawn chairs listening to records on the lawn.

Discouraged, Elliot hears that a neighboring town turned away the Woodstock music festival, so he contacts Woodstock Ventures and tells him that not only does he have plenty of land to host the concert, he’s got a permit for a music festival already. Faster than you can say “acid trip,” hippies are converging on his tiny town for the event that defined a generation.

What’s nice about TAKING WOODSTOCK is that it firmly sticks to telling its story, the story of Elliot Teichberg, later Tiber. If you’re looking for Woodstock footage or music, you won’t find it here. Elliot Teichberg never actually attended the three days of peace and music, despite the attempts he made, as seen in the film. The humorous and interesting ways he gets sidetracked are great, but may be discouraging to anyone looking to relive Woodstock.

What’s not so groovy about TAKING WOODSTOCK is that it’s too schizophrenic to stick to a single storyline. The film repeatedly introduces wacky new characters every scene or so. These unnecessary characters cause the plot to stray from the best and most interesting aspect of the film: how the festival serves as a catalyst for change within the Teichberg family.

Indeed, the Teichbergs are the most compelling characters in the film. Demetri Martin gives a charming performance as Elliot. Fans of the young comedian won’t be let down by his performance. He’s funny, warm and (unexpectedly) a fine dramatic actor.

But while Martin’s talents are well-utilized, TAKING WOODSTOCK has a massive cast that mostly goes to waste. The fantastic Jeffrey Dean Morgan only appears in a few brief scenes as a local man opposed to the festival. Eugene Levy is delightful as the dairy farmer who owns the land where Woodstock is eventually held, but his plotline is cut short and we never get to see him in the second half of the film.

Director Ang Lee seems out of his element with this film. TAKING WOODSTOCK feels too long and doesn’t have enough (or maybe too much) to keep you interested for its duration.

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