Taking Woodstock (2009)

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

Director:

Ang Lee

Writers:

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

Stars:

Henry Goodman, Edward Hibbert, Imelda Staunton

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Henry Goodman	...	Jake Teichberg
Edward Hibbert	...	British Gentleman
Imelda Staunton	...	Sonia Teichberg
Demetri Martin	...	Elliot Teichberg
Kevin Chamberlin	...	Jackson Spiers
Lee Wong	...	George the Doorman (as Takeo Lee Wong)
Anthoula Katsimatides	...	Esther
Clark Middleton	...	Frank
Bette Henritze	...	Annie
Sondra James	...	Margaret
Jeffrey Dean Morgan	...	Dan
Christina Kirk	...	Carol
Gail Martino	...	Town Clerk
Emile Hirsch	...	Billy
Adam LeFevre	...	Dave

Storyline

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:

catskills | concert | motel | undressing | town name in title | 

---

Taglines:

"A Generation Began In His Backyard."

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Music

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 August 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

Aconteceu em Woodstock

Filming Locations:

Cherry Plain State Park, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$3,457,760 (USA) (28 August 2009)

Gross:

$7,443,007 (USA) (25 September 2009)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Focus Features

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

No authentic Woodstock footage was inserted into the film. According to director Ang Lee all the crowd and concert footage was shot specifically for the film.

---

Goofs

Billy talks about beating Monticello High School and catching 3 touchdown passes. Monticello High School had no football team at that time nor did it have one for decades prior to the festival. Also, if Billy was from White Lake or Bethel, he would have attended Monticello High School and would not have been playing against them.

---

Quotes

[Elliot is spreading the white bedsheets into a giant X on the lawn to flag down Michael Lang's helicopter]
Sonia Teichberg: Elli! What is this with the sheets?
Elliot Tiber: What does it look like? I'm making a big cross on the lawn!
Sonia Teichberg: With the clean sheets? Jake, our boy's gone crazy! Making a Ku Klux Klan rally on our property!

---

Connections

Referenced in Tosh.0: The Naked Wizard (2011)

---

Soundtracks

"Mind Flowers"
Written by Ian Bruce-Douglas
Performed by Ultimate Spinach
Courtesy of Iris Properties, Inc.

User Reviews

Captures the Spirit of Woodstock in a Unique Way

From reading some of the other comments it sounds like most people that are disappointed in this film were mainly put off due to their expectations for a film that focuses on the music.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. I loved the unique focus on the small town that hosted the festival and how it affected all of their lives. I believe it was a great way to really capture the vibe of Woodstock without getting too rapt up in the actual musicians that were playing, which to me has been focused on enough over the years.

If you have been to a multiple day festival before you will have a wonderful sense of nostalgia. This movie completely captures how amazing people can be when they remove themselves from the hum drum monotony of their day to day lives and get together with like minded strangers for a few days of complete freedom and joy.

A great feel good movie with a lot of veiled depth about the people that helped make Woodstock one of the most famous events the world has known.