Taking Woodstock

Ang Lee is such a diverse director that he never makes the same type of film twice. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for directors who can do this. I was, however, disappointed with his latest film.
While there were a few interesting elements to the film, as a whole it did not quite work for me. I think it was mainly due to the tone of the film. It looks like it would have worked better as an all out comedy rather than a drama with comedic elements. There are many situations which are set up to be played more for laughs but they chose not to. I’m not all that familiar with the Woodstock festival itself. But the one thing I did like about was the perspective they took to the event. Most would have focused on the artists that played and showed the concert itself but there was a lot going on behind the scenes that was just as interesting. I’m really amazed at how, despite the number of people that turned up, there was very little trouble. At modern concert events you hear of more trouble going on. Maybe the drugs back then made you more mellow compared to the ones taken today.
Performances in the film are mixed. Demitri Martin for me is the weakest considering he is the lead. His character is rather bland. Demitri is supposed to be a comedian and I would have thought they would use his comedic potential considering some of the situations his character gets into. He does though have some wonderful moments with Imelda Staunton and Henry Goodman who play his parents. Imelda is her usual brilliant self and Henry is excellent along side her. The other great performance comes from Liev Schreiber. I think he does some of his best work when he is in drag.
Like many reviews I’ve read of this film I think because it was Ang Lee we have very high expectations for this film that are just not met. I suppose every director can not be perfect all the time.