Taking Woodstock

2009
R
2h

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

30K

YOUR RATING

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

Play trailer2:13

14 Videos

99+ Photos

Biography Comedy Drama History Music

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

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

30K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Awards
- 8 nominations total

Trivia
According to the Washington Post, screenwriter and producer James Schamus told reporters at the Cannes Film Festival that the biggest challenge in casting extras for the movie was to find people "who were not working out all the time, and who still had pubic hair."

Goofs
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
[the Chamber of Commerce discussing tourism ideas]
Frank: Well, okay. We got a lot of dairy farms around here, right? And a fair number of bulls. Okay, you've all heard of the running of the bulls in that town in Spain, Pampoona.
Elliot Tiber: Pamplona.
Frank: Well, no one's doing one in the Catskills. Seems to be a big draw over there.
Annie: It would be very amusing to see all those Jews from Levitsky's summer colony, you know, the ones with the black top hats and the curls, running for their lives chased by our local livestock. Wouldn't that be a wonderful sight!

Crazy credits
The Focus Features logo has a psychedelic kaleidoscope design and plays a rock version of the theme music.

Connections
Featured in At the Movies: Cannes Film Festival 2009 (2009)

Soundtracks
How Could We Know
Written by Jamie Dunlap, Stephen Lang and Scott Nickoley
Performed by Lori Mark
Courtesy of Marc Ferrari/Mastersource

User reviews80

Review

Featured review

7/10

A personal story

Taking Woodstock is a personal story about a young man finding himself at a time when his generation was trying to do that throughout the world. It is not a "docudrama" about the event, so people expecting to relive the Woodstock festival, take note. Elliot's struggles and evolution through this unique event are another of Ang Lee's wonderfully textured allegories. That this fellow raised in China can so pointedly create the full emotional spectrum of the "youth movement" of that time is a testament to his artistry. This movie takes on a series of serious ideas with a light flair. Go in prepared to "go with the flow" and you'll leave feeling free, man.