How much wood would a woodstocker stock if a woodstocker woodstock wood?

I've tried and failed consistently to really enjoy and sink my teeth into Ang Lee's repertoire, there's no doubt the man makes great looking films, and most of the time elements are amazing, be it acting, score, style, plot, tone, but the one thing he never can work with is pace. Hulk was too long and drawn out, Brokeback needed 25 minutes shaved off, Crouching Tiger spent a lot of time just going over things that never really felt that necessary.

With Taking Woodstock a laid back approach isn't just a good idea, it's mandatory, for a story of a young Jewish man (at least it's not half Yiddish like the Coen's film) who manages to secure the Woodstock concert for his town, helping his family out of debt problems at their motel, and giving new life to their town, but with the hippy movement in full swing, not everyone is happy. However the pace is laidback like most of the characters, even in dire situations they are all 'groovy' and 'far out', in accordance with Ang Lee's work, it's also too long at different stages, and then misses the best bits for more long nothingness.

A cast of actors such as Demetri Martin, Imelda Staunton, Emile Hirsch, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Eugene Levy, Liev Schreiber & Dan Fogler in lead roles, cameo appearances, transvestite characters and straight laced anti-Semitic townsfolk among others, it's impossible to criticise the acting, and the film does look exceptional, utilising split screen for some scenes, archive footage feeling for others and natural, one image film for the majority, it's got it's own use of ideas presented in many films before it, and it certainly works for the piece.

Add to that the film is rather funny at points, and the drama is well done, even though none of the characters really care, as the hardest stuff to cope with is given a brush off and a hippy catchphrase and never looked back upon, it's a light film, but it's also an odd film, the first hour deal with monetary issues and the setting up of the concert, the next 45 minutes are about the trickling of people to the fields and the lead character trying, but failing, to reach the venue, instead hanging on a hill with friends, old and newly acquired. The film also has a look at the free love regime, a small moment in a bar the lead is grabbed and kissed by a woman, he turns round, a man he hung out with earlier is there, they kiss, but there's never any talk about the lead's actual love life, or who he really is, short of being an artist, mentioned from time to time but briefly.

Overall the film does try to present issue, ideas and not be conventional 'here is the music you love and here's a story about the music with the music' but ultimately it does seem rather pointless, yes it's a fun watch, but you get nothing out of it, and in the end this film could really have been something amazing if it tried harder.
7/10