Taking Woodstock

A film about Woodstock would mean six words: drugs, sex and rock & roll. Wrong. I think WayneStock in Wayne’s World 2 had more musical acts than Taking Woodstock. It was like Titanic without the ship or Rudy without football.

I love Demetri Martin and found myself highly anticipating this film especially since Liev Shreiber and Ang Lee were in the lineup. So imagine the disappointment I felt sitting in the theatre. It was like I arrived on the wrong day for Woodstock. You just keep sitting there wondering when the show will start.

There were a few fantastic opening acts for this film. Demetri Martin’s character was honestly, just a wet blanket I couldn’t wait to dry up. Granted the story is about him finding his way and exploring his homosexual tendencies, but unless old women or his parents were in the shot, he just did not deliver at all.

The old ladies: fantastic. Demetri Martin’s parents: hilarious. It made me want Russian Jews for parents. Emilie Hirsch plays a war vet who just can’t shake what he did and saw. His scenes are few, but he really takes hold of you as a viewer.

Schreiber’s character Vilma was funny, but then the schtick got old. And seeing big, burly Victor Creed from X-Men dressed in a dress didn’t really ring true for me. Love Liev in nearly everything else he’s done, but just couldn’t get comfortable seeing my big, strong man wearing a dress, lipstick and panty hose.

One particular scene really confused me as well. We see Elliot heading up to see Woodstock and when he’s nearly there, he befriends VW Guy and VW Girl who pull them into their VW van and give him drugs and they have this psychedelic, acidic and trippy fifteen minutes. It was like looking into a kaleidoscope someone threw up in. I had to look a few times away from fear of nausea. Screw D.A.R.E. classes, make fifth graders watch this. Scene is very reminiscent of the Bono scene in Across the Universe, hard to understand and the perfect opportunity for a potty break.

Bottom line: No storyline, great cast. Wait for the DVD as I’m sure the extras would include concert acts, but then again, it’s never safe to assume.