Taking Woodstock (2009)

Director:

Ang Lee

Writers (WGA):

James Schamus (screenplay)
Elliot Tiber (book) ...

Release Date:

28 August 2009 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Music

Tagline:

"A Generation Began In His Backyard."

Plot:

A man working at his parents' motel in the Catskills inadvertently sets in motion the generation-defining concert in the summer of 1969. |

Plot Keywords:

1969 | Motel | Concert | Interior Decorator | Hidden Money

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Henry Goodman	...	Jake Teichberg
Edward Hibbert	...	British Gentleman
Imelda Staunton	...	Sonia Teichberg
Demetri Martin	...	Elliot Tiber
Emile Hirsch	...	Billy
Paul Dano	...	VW Guy
Kelli Garner	...	VW Girl
Clark Middleton	...	Frank
Bette Henritze	...	Annie
Sondra James	...	Margaret
Jeffrey Dean Morgan	...	Dan
Christina Kirk	...	Carol
Gail Martino	...	Town Clerk
Lee Wong	...	George the Doorman (as Takeo Lee Wong)
Adam LeFevre	...	Dave

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic nudity, some sexual content, drug use and language.

Runtime:

France:110 min (Cannes Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R (certificate #45200) | New Zealand:R16 | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Portugal:M/16 | Ireland:16 | Hong Kong:III | Singapore:R21 | Germany:6 | Australia:MA | Netherlands:12 | Mexico:B15

Filming Locations:

Cherry Plain State Park, New York, USA

Company:

Focus Features

Trivia:

In the end of the film Michael Lang says he's going to San Francisco to organize a free concert with the Rolling Stones. He's referring to the infamous Altamont Free Concert where four people ended up dead, one of them by homicide. Because of these violent events the concert was later on viewed as the end of the hippie era.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Arlo Guthrie was heard singing "Coming Into Los Angeles" in daylight. When the 1969 Woodstock concert first took place, Arlo came on stage at midnight right after Melanie.

Quotes:

Vilma: You should see what I'm packing up here.

Movie Connections:

References True Grit (1969)

Soundtrack:

One More Mile

Highly Entertaining

Taking Woodstock is a hilarious film, beautifully photographed and filled with performances that capture the idealism of the '60s. Ang Lee does a masterful job capturing the madness and chaos associated with trying to stage a major rock festival in a rural community, even to the point of borrowing split-screen techniques from the Woodstock documentary.

Demetri Martin plays Elliot Tiber (Teichberg) and does a fine job as the son torn between independence and duty to his aging parents, Imelda Staunton and Henry Goodman (five-star performances by both). Eugene Levy plays the shrewd Max Yasgur with a twinkle in his eye, and Liev Schrieber is unforgettable as the ex-Marine and transvestite who provides security for the Teichberg family's motel.

Taking Woodstock is a highly entertaining movie.