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So as you know, I stopped writing lengthy reviews on this site this year, keeping the blog as more of a film diary of sorts.  Lo and behold,...

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

Movie Review - Taking Woodstock (2009)

Starring Demetri Martin, Imelda Staunton, Henry Goodman, and Emile Hirsch
Directed by Ang Lee

This is my one-hundredth movie viewed that was released in 2009. How I wish it could've been a winner...unfortunately, it was far from it.

Being the "young" Republican that I am, I don't think I'll ever understand the hippie culture of the late 1960s. I comprehend why it went on, but I'll never ever "get" why people partook in it (is "partook" a word?). To me, Woodstock is a bunch of too many people cramped into too small of a space, high on life and dope (among other illegal substances) and dancing all weird. This movie did nothing to change that perception.

Now, that's certainly not the movie's downfall, but the appeal of the movie was absolutely limited to me (although I can certainly look past things I "dislike" and still like a movie -- see Orphan's weird and uncomfortable girl-man kissing scene...still freaks me out). The problem with the movie isn't Woodstock and the hippie generation, the problem is that nothing happens in this flick for 120+ minutes. The film revolves around a Jewish family who open up their modest, run-down hotel to the organizers of Woodstock and the chaos (both organized and un) that is the result.

While there's three decent performances here (Demetri Martin, Imelda Staunton, and Henry Goodman as the Jewish family), they aren't enough to save the flick. And their roles, while acted well, were written as broad stereotypes at times. Plus, for a movie that revolves around Woodstock, you'd expect there to be some decent music, but there's none of that here.

The RyMickey Rating: D

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