Ang Lee has already stated that after his dark (and relatively mirthless and listless) WWII-era’d picture “Lust/Caution,” he was seeking something much more light on its feet. Enter “Taking Woodstock,” a picture about the nascent beginnings of the seminal ‘60s rock concert in Woodstock, New York that many assumed would be a drama, but turns out to be a comedy (or at least by the trailers, a fairly goofy-looking one) much to everyone’s surprise. Deadpan comedian Demetri Martin star as Elliot Tiber, a sexually-coming-of-age, aspiring Greenwich Village interior designer who became integral to pulling off the zeitgeist-shaping flower power musical festival. Other cast members include Paul Dano, Emile Hirsch, Eugene Levy, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Keli Garner, Imelda Staunton and Liev Schreiber as a cross-dressing transgressive.
Expectations are everything and ours were very low. It didn’t help that the early reviews of Lee’s new ’60s-centric feature seemed poor; Variety, we believe called it something like, “mild bud” with little kick, and while this is on the mark — ‘Woodstock’ is rather benign, even toothless — it’s also quite warmer and tenderhearted than we expected and not the goofyball/wacky “comedy” that the early trailer suggested. Let’s demarcate it as a light dramedy for now.
Still, it seems to be a weird picture to be accepted to Cannes, but this is sort of indicative of this years cinema crop, which seems not as potent as previous years (at least so far).
Lee’s congenial tale centers on Tiber and his almost-accidental role in helping pull the legendary rock concert off and much less on the counter culture movement that surrounded the festival. Sure, those elements are inescapable and touched upon, but ultimately its a mostly personal story about Martin, the relationship to his family, his community and rising to the challenge of Woodstock (becoming a man, inadvertently illuminating one’s path, your classic bildungsroman story, etc.). The story’s engine starts with Tiber’s family “resort,” a dilapidated motel in Upstate New York that is threatened with foreclosure. The young man has to choose: his career or help out his aging, ailing parents from insolvency and he seems to have no choice. The narrative shifts into first gear and soon, fortuitous concert permit problems bring the concert to his front door and the keys to his family’s monetary issues seem to be in sight. Of course, Woodstock, the concert, soon balloons into an overwhelmingly mammoth event that no one expected or is equipped to handle. The influx of people brings out the contempt (and anti-semitism) of the locals toward Tiber, his family, and Woodstock farmer Max Yasgur who agreed to host the concert (played by a convivial Eugene Levy).
Martin is capable in his first leading role, playing it understated and simple and most of the performances in the film salvage what are fairly one-note, one-dimensional characters who could have been awful in less accomplished hands (a less sure-footed director would have botched them even further). Emile Hirsch plays a young Vietnam vet, suffering from flashbacks, shellshock and readjustment to the “world,” and the character would be a complete cartoon if the solid young actor weren’t so competent in his craft. Likewise, Liev Schreiber takes a transexual-character turned-head-of-Tiber’s-Woodstock-security from being a caricature into a contoured and full-bodied person with soul and dimension — in fact his warm presence is very emblematic of the film’s overall tone. Newcomer Jonathan Groff who plays the uber-relaxed concert promoter Michael Lang is also a true find, and one to keep an eye on. Relatively new Mamie Gummer, Meryl Streep’s daughter, on the other hand could use some work.
Some are less successful- Imelda Staunton as Martin’s selfish and oppressively domineering Jewish mother is a shrill one trick pony that becomes increasingly frustrating as the picture moves on. Perhaps this is how Tiber’s mother really was in real life, but all audiences need reprieve from obnoxious characters. Dan Fogler, as always, plays Dan Fogler, this time as the leader of a hippie theater commune, but at least his role is small enough not to disturb, but everyone else rises to the occasion, taking thin material and elevating it to something richer and tender (though note: Paul Dano and Keli Garner’s roles as a hippie couple that introduce Tiber to LSD, are basically cameos).
While there are gestures towards the zeitgeist-changing times — Vietnam in full swing, draft card burning protests, establishment discord, and growing discontent towards this hirsute and unknown generation — again, the story is less grand scale and more an intimate look at the Woodstock generation through the filter of Martin’s family.
While the aesthetic of the film is mostly summery innocence, with a few evocative cut-aways here and there, the film occasionally does take on the multi-screen chaotic emphasis of the famous “Woodstock” concert documentary when trying to channel the anarchic maelstrom surrounding the lead-up to the festival (where Tiber’s family motel, becomes the epicenter and the HQ).
Due later in August in limited release, it’s doubtful “Taking Woodstock” will light up even the indie-arthouse or rouse critics to resounding levels by the sounds of it — it’s spirited, but much more innocuous than similar period, age stories, i.e., it’s no “Dazed & Confused” — however, there is a warm-hearted essence to the picture that perhaps captures the soul of the peace and love generation, and makes the picture not a total loss. At best, it gently transports you to that world for two hours (overlong like most Cannes films so far), and at its worst, it’s harmless reefer without much kick. But you can do worse at Cannes so far. *[B-]
*That’s a nod to “Don’t Look Back” which we may not bother to review as it was godawful — beware the out of competition films. Word of mouth is not strong on “Agora” either.