Taking Woodstock

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There isn't much to say about the 2009 movie Taking Woodstock, because it is quite boring. It moves along without much ado, chronicling these historic events modestly and with kindness. It succeeds in touching the fringes of an overblown event. It feels like a tale told by a close friend who happens to be boring himself, instead of an attempt at objective, grand journalism. It is indeed refreshing to see a perspective of Woodstock that ignores actual concert footage. It is also nice to see (though slightly, despite the film's slow wind-up) the gritty details of how such a phenomenon could happen. I'm still left with a lot of questions about logistics...

What else can I say? The characters are barely worth discussing. They're all rather likable in a bland way, save for the mother, who is wretched, but not enough to discuss any further. The pacing of the film is soft and careful, but not in the touchingly intimate way that other Ang Lee films are. Brokeback Mountain, as well as The Ice Storm, was so infused with interesting drama and passion that every slow scene was charged with intrigue and satisfaction. Not so here.

The title is interesting, I suppose, though forgettable. It sounds as though Woodstock itself is drug, like taking acid. Characters in the movie do take acid, and the portrayal of their little trip (about five minutes of screen time) is honest and good. It was at this point in the movie that I most connected: life is groovy.