DVD Reviews

Taking Woodstock – DVD Review

By Jeff Swindoll Dec 17, 2009, 15:57 GMT

A new comedy inspired by the true story of elliot tiber and his family who inadvertently played a pivotal role in making the the famed woodstock music and arts festival into the happening that it was. ...more

“Those hippies will be high on drugs. Robbing us by day and raping our cattle by night.”

Elliot Tiber (Demetri Martin) has secured a permit from the town of Bethel to hold a small music festival. When he hears that the organizers of the Woodstock Music Festival have been run out of nearby Wallkill he offers his permit and land.

He sees a way to make money for his conniving, shrewish mother (Imelda Staunton) and henpecked father’s (Henry Goodman) rundown motel that only houses a dirt-poor theatre group (led by Dan Fogler) in the barn. Laidback Woodstock organizer Michael Lang (Jonathan Groff) helicopters in to inspect the motel and land and discovers that Elliot’s land is a swamp.

The organizer’s scope out Max Yasgur’s (Eugene Levy) nearby dairy farm (the best chocolate milk in the county) and make a deal to hold the concert there. Soon the town and motel is overrun with hippies and flower children, enough that Vilma (Li ev Schreiber), a transvestite ex-Marine, is hired for security. However, Elliot faces opposition from the townsfolk and Dan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) whose brother Billy (Emile Hirsch) has just returned from Vietnam.

Taking Woodstock is the Reservoir Dogs of Woodstock movies. If you don’t remember Dogs was a heist film that was about a heist that the audience never saw. Taking Woodstock is about the muddy, rainy free love groundbreaking concert and how it came to the sleepy hamlet of Bethel, New York… and you never really get a good look at the concert.

It’s more concerned with the doings at the El Monaco Motel and Elliot’s life. There’s been some talk that Tiber’s book, on which this movie is based, has some fictional elements but the film is more of a character study than anything. I never look to movies to get my historical information anyway. The film focuses on Tiber’s life and dealing with his parents, especially his snarling, greedy mother.

She only agrees to allow all the chaos at the motel (of which she only washes the sheets every once and awhile, who wants to pay for detergent?) when she sees there’s a buck to be made. Elliot’s father has been downtrodden by his wife and only really feels alive again when the youthful, free-lovers descend on the property.

Elliot is a somewhat closeted homosexual (I got the impression that his parents didn’t know) and finds some freedom and understanding when Vilma arrives.

Schreiber’s character is probably the most interesting and one wishes there were more of him… her… him. I also though that Eugene Levy does well with the understanding Yasgur and doesn’t go for comedy, well maybe subtlety. It’s a nice slice of the flower power era, but if you’re expecting more comedy or a full blown look at Woodstock you may want to check elsewhere.

Taking Woodstock is presented in anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions. Special features include a commentary by director Ang Lee and writer James Schamus. There are also 7 minutes of deleted scenes and the 19 minute “Peace, Love, and Cinema” about making the film.

Wonderfully acted and focusing on interesting, oddball characters; Taking Woodstock takes most of the Woodstock out of the film. I though it interested to take a look at the event from this point of view. Peace.