Review of Taking Woodstock (2009) by Liu Y — 09 Feb 2010

Wrapped in the blanket of a major event in America history lies this nugget of a family relationship story. Unfortunately the event seems to overshadow the true plot of the film. The chemistry between Martin, Staunton, and Henry Goldman is remarkable especially since Martin is new to film. By combining him with Staunton and Goldman however, he is given a couple of crutches to lean on. I feel that the focus of all the action lies in this relationship. We find the motivation here, the major conflict here, and eventually the resolution.

Ang Lee seemed to be a divided man; does he focus on the interpersonal relationships that are essential to the plot or does he layer up the grand background? At times Martin looked a little confused on emotion and I feel that the pure grandness of the film may have detracted some of Lee's attention from the greenhorn Martin. Also the split screen method is a little out of place with this film. Again its almost like Lee is so focused on the quantity that he sacrificed some quality.

In the end, you should see this film. Enjoy Liev Schreiber in drag (a deceptively strong role, not your typical comic relief), Emile Hirsch popping in and out of Vietnam flashbacks, and two hilarious older ladies that provide some of Martin's strongest backup.