Ang Lee’s “Taking Woodstock” is rather benign, even toothless. It’s also quite warmer and tenderhearted than we expected and not the goofball, wacky “comedy” that the early trailers suggested — but still a lite dramedy at best.
It’s spirited and sweet, but much more innocuous than similar period, age stories, i.e., it’s no “Dazed & Confused” The warm-hearted essence to the picture does capture the soul of the peace and love generation — and that makes the picture not a total loss. But at the end of the day, it’s rather forgettable. At least for people like us that saw it back in May and haven’t really retained much from the experience. [Read more from our original Cannes review].