Movielogr
Taking Woodstock (2009)
Directed by Ang Lee
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Overview
The story of Elliot Tiber and his family, who inadvertently played a pivotal role in making the famed Woodstock Music and Arts Festival into the happening that it was. When Elliot hears that a neighboring town has pulled the permit on a hippie music festival, he calls the producers thinking he could drum up some much-needed business for his parents’ run-down motel. Three weeks later, half a million people are on their way to his neighbor’s farm in White Lake, New York, and Elliot finds himself swept up in a generation-defining experience that would change his life–and American culture–forever.
Rated R | Length 120 minutes
Actors
Demetri Martin | Imelda Staunton | Henry Goodman | Liev Schreiber | Jonathan Groff | Eugene Levy | Emile Hirsch | Paul Dano | Kelli Garner | Jeffrey Dean Morgan | Adam Pally | Mamie Gummer | Dan Fogler | Skylar Astin | Richard Thomas | Kevin Chamberlin | Edward Hibbert | Lee Wong | Katherine Waterston | Anthoula Katsimatides | Clark Middleton | Bette Henritze | Sondra James | Christina Kirk | Daniel Eric Gold | Josh Safdie | Kevin Sussman | Caitlin Fitzgerald | David Lavine
Viewing History (seen 1 time)
| Date Viewed | Device | Format | Source | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01/01/2010 | N/A | Streaming | Video on Demand | 3.5 stars |
| (Average) 3.5 stars |
Viewing Notes
Ang Lee looks at how Woodstock found a home and got off the ground, via the perspective of a hotel owner. This is based on a book of the same name, however, after reading about it, the Yasgur family who’s farm Woodstock was thrown on said that Elliot Tiber (Dimitri Martin) had nothing to do with hooking up Woodstock Ventures with him.
Either way the movie is lots of fun, historically accurate or not. I enjoyed Martin’s subtle character of a guy just trying to do his best for his small town and to support his families failing motel. Just seeing him interact with the Woodstock people and the amounts of money at work is pretty mindblowing.
Ang Lee put together a very solid group of people. Emil Hersch plays the troubled Vietnam vet whos eyes get opened by the show, Dan Fogler is the hippy actor who’s troupe lives in Tiber’s barn, Imelda Staunton (from Harry Potter) is his Tiber’s very outrageous and pig headed mother, Eugene Levy is Max Yasgur the farm and land owner where Woodstock was held and then Liev Schriber is a transvestite ex-marine they use for security. Lots of good actors and they’re all great in it.
Lots of heart, laughs and very little of the actual concert, which was fine because we’ve seen plenty of that but none of the behind the scenes of how things got off the ground.
Even if it’s not historically accurate, the film gives a great sense of how much was accomplished and how they went about it.
Highly enjoyable for me.
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