It was the summer that would define a generation. It was the summer that embodied the "sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll" philosophy that ran through the veins of long-haired hippies throughout the country. It was the summer of '69.
Oscar-winning director Ang Lee's newest film, Taking Woodstock, brings the counter-culture movement to life in all of its psychedelic glory.
Not only does it tell the story - "based on real events" - of how the Woodstock Music and Arts Festival came to be held in the Catskills Mountains of New York, but it tells a coming-of-age story that will be sure to have an impact on viewers no matter which generation they grew up in.
Elliot Tiber (Demetri Martin) is an endearingly sweet Jewish man who spends his days commuting between his home in New York City and his parents' floundering hotel, the El Monaco, in a small town in the Catskills. Money is tight, but he uses what he has to help keep his parent's livelihood afloat.
His parents, however, don't appear to appreciate how much he does for them. Even his sister, who, like his entire family, possesses stereotypically Jewish traits, tells him that he is wasting his time.
When the Woodstock festival is kicked out of their original venue due to hippie-prejudice on the part of the town government, Elliot decides that offering to host Woodstock would be both beneficial to the small town's economy and to hippies everywhere.
It is doubtful that he could have predicted that a simple phone call would set in motion one of the most influential music festivals in history and the journey of half a million people to see it.
One of the more difficult aspects of bringing Woodstock to the Catskills was convincing the town and his parents to agree to it. While his parents were more easily appeased when they saw the monetary benefits, the townspeople were a different story.
As the film spins the tale of how the '69 Woodstock came into existence, Elliot's uncertain and oftentimes frustrating relationship with his parents and his "should I or should I not come out" dilemma grows.
While leading man Martin will be unfamiliar to viewers, the rest of the cast is littered with famous faces. Harry Potter's Imelda Staunton is at once abrasive and lovable as Elliot's mother, a tiny Jewish woman who is convinced that World War II's persecution of the Jews is not yet over.
Between her physical abuse of intruding authorities and her unintentional consumption of "special brownies," she quickly becomes one of Taking Woodstock's most colorful characters.
Emile Hirsch also provides one of the more comedic performances as Billy, a veteran whose views of reality and nightmare and memories are blurred.
Liev Shrieber as the cross-dressing, pseudo-bodyguard Vilma additionally adds a certain amount of hilarity and insight into the film.
Taking Woodstock is not a movie in the vein of Almost Famous in which the music is expertly blended into the scenes in order to celebrate the powerfulness of rock and roll.
Sure, the music of Woodstock performers Joplin and Hendrix can be heard in several scenes, but this film is not about the music. It's about the people. If you want to experience the music, buy a re-mastered collection of the Woodstock recordings. After all, it is the 40-year anniversary and there is an abundance of re-releases that can now be found.
The film, instead, is a testament to the people who made Woodstock a reality and those who traveled to attend it. In fact, only a small portion of the nearly two-hour running time takes place at the actual festival.
When Elliot finally ventures to the concert, the stage can only be seen from a distance and only faint rumblings of the music can be heard. Instead, Elliot's participation at Woodstock comes in the form of a trippy experience in the back of a VW van and a muddy, hillside adventure.
Elliot's acid-induced evening is quite reminiscent of the musical film Across the Universe, inspired by a handful of the the most famous Beatles songs.
Lee's directorial expertise, in addition to the talent of the cast, makes for an entertaining and beautifully-shot comedic drama.
The film is not all about "peace, love and music," nor is it about a young man coming to grips with his homosexuality. Instead, it's a combination of the two as well an exploration of the social and political tensions of the 1960s.
Ultimately, Taking Woodstock provides an interesting facsimile of the counter-culture experience in the summer of '69, complete with the inclusion of (implied) sex, (experimentation with) drugs, and (distantly-heard) rock 'n' roll.
