Press-Republican

A&E

Discussion

PLEASE NOTE: There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

ALSO NOTE: Derisive name-calling of an individual or group will result in the entire comment being deleted. This includes the terms "stupid" and "idiot" and similar references.

Welcome to our new online comments feature. Before you can join the discussion, you must first register with Disqus and verify your email address.

Once you do, your comments will post after they have been reviewed by a moderator.

We welcome your thoughts and your opinions, including unpopular ones. We ask only that you keep the conversation civil and clean.

Not all comments are deemed printable. Some are disqualified, at the newspaper’s discretion, for a number of reasons. Here are some typical practices to avoid in trying to get your comment printed:

There is a 150 word maximum for comments. All comments greater than 150 words in length will be deleted in their entirety.

Don’t state as a fact something that is unsubstantiated or that our editors wouldn't know to be true.

Don’t presume someone’s guilt in a case when it hasn't been established by a court.

Don’t assail or impugn an identifiable individual or group. If you have that kind of criticism, sign your name and submit it as a Letter to the Editor. (There is some leeway on this in connection with public officials, but it is not unconditional.)

Don’t use profanity. This includes the term “tea bagger.”

Don’t be incendiary or tasteless. Those qualities are subjective, of course, and our editors will be the arbiters.

Do not identify yourself in the main content area of the article content form. Only by enforcing this rule can the moderators prevent unscrupulous commenters from falsely identifying themselves as someone they are not.

Don't type in all caps. It is considered the Internet equivalent of shouting.

In sports articles, do not criticize officiating.

Remember, moderators are not allowed to edit any article comments. If an article comment fails any of the above criteria, the entire comment will be deleted.

We monitor comments Monday - Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Approval of comments outside these times may be delayed.
comments powered by Disqus
September 2, 2009

'Taking' makes mess of Woodstock

By STEVE OUELLETTE, Movie Review

Woodstock, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, was a legendary concert and an epochal moment in modern American history.

Unfortunately, the based-on-true-life film "Taking Woodstock" doesn't do the event justice in any way.

Talented director Ang Lee ("Brokeback Mountain," "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon") will have to file this one on his short pile (2003's "Hulk") of mis-hits.

Based on a memoir by Elliot Tiber, "Taking Woodstock" tries to tell the Woodstock story as a slice of life, from the point of view of someone who played an unexpected but crucial role in making it happen.

Comedian Demetri Martin plays Elliot Teichberg, a 20-something New York City decorator who spends half his time in the Catskills helping his moribund parents try to keep their ramshackle motel out of bankruptcy. Things change for him, however, when he hears that Woodstock organizers are having trouble finding a location for the their concert.

Perhaps the El Monaco motel won't do, but Max Yasgur's nearby farm might just be the perfect fit, and Elliot helps broker the deal.

Much like the mud-soaked cow pastures where the concert was staged, though, the movie is a mess. It veers all over the place, at times feeling like a sitcom; at other times playing as a half-hearted family drama.

Most of the pieces don't seem to fit. Elliot's coming-of-age moments are forced. Liev Schreiber's ("Wolverine") cross-dressing ex-Marine seems out of place, even at Woodstock. Emile Hirsch ("Speed Racer") is unbelievable and unmoving as a shell-shocked Vietnam vet.

"Taking Woodstock" is most interesting and most amusing during the setup, when the deal is made, and when it portrays the conflict between the tiny town's residents and the giant hippie invasion.

It never, however, immerses the viewer to the point where we feel like we've experienced a chunk of it ourselves (not even during the awkward, obligatory acid-trip scene). It doesn't help that there aren't even snippets of any actual musical performances (or re-creations of musical performances), and the music of actual Woodstock performers isn't present (or is barely present), even in the background.

Martin seems nice enough as Elliot, but he's part of the problem. He's not a real actor, and he's not very convincing. He never seems completely natural, and his lead character isn't particularly interesting.

Much more intriguing is Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge in "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix") as his domineering, old-country mother. Staunton chews up the scenery as a nasty and completely unlovable shrew, but her performance is certainly memorable. Also very good is stage actor Jonathan Groff as charismatic, supremely confident Michael Lang, the hippie concert organizer.

"Taking Woodstock" is a good-natured mess but an underwhelming portrayal of an overwhelming experience.

Rental Recommendation: One of the legendary sporting events of the '60s is recounted wonderfully in the documentary "Harvard Beats Yale 29-29." Grade: B+

E-mail Steve Ouellette at: ouellette1918@gmail.com

Text Only | Photo Reprints

Steve Ouellette's Movie Reviews

Parade
Magazine
Click HERE to read all your Parade favorites including Hollywood Wire, Celebrity interviews and photo galleries, Food recipes and cooking tips, Games and lots more.
Entertainment Videos
Dwarfing Around With Ray Winstone VH1's 'Single Ladies' Launches Season 2 RPatz Swaps Cullen for Cronenberg Stars Crowd Red Carpet for AmfAR Knick's Anthony on NY Life, Linsanity, New Role Zefron Gets Eroticised Kristen Stewart 'On the Road' to Cannes Mads Mikkelsen on 'The Hunt' in Cannes Brad Pitt Dispels Wedding Date Rumors at Cannes Gerard Butler: the Good, the Bad and the Cannes ShowBiz Minute: Gibb, Billboard, Smith Robin Gibb of Bee Gees Dies at 62 Raw Video: Will Smith Slaps Journalist Wes Anderson Makes His Cannes Debut Tony Nominee Josh Young on Judas Role in 'JCS' Jaime King's Southern Belle Secrets ShowBiz Minute: Summer, Gaga, Beckham Fans Pay Tribute to Donna Summer Glenn Frey on New Solo Record, Eagles Disco Queen Donna Summer Dies at 63