Review of Taking Woodstock (2009) by Brian S — 25 May 2010

Interesting film, but a bit disjointed. the main premise seems to be Demetri Martin character's journey to independent adulthood, which is certainly fair. however, the journey does not appear to adequately reflect the monumental setting.

some characters seemed out of place as well, namely Emile Hirsch and Liev Schreiber. they were interesting people, but they seemed a little "more than necessary." I really appreciated some of Ang Lee's directing choices, like the in-film tributes to and split-screen camera style of the Woodstock documentary.

I also liked the elaborate detail put into the extras--really helped establish a larger and grander world of the film. overall though, while the perspective of the locals was portrayed wonderfully, the spirit of the festival itself was not--nor really could it have been.

while this is an entertaining and somewhat fun movie, there's just too much going on to give every character and every subplot its due.