Based on Elliot Tiber’s (allegedly inaccurate) tale of his role in the organisation of the Woodstock Festival, Taking Woodstock takes one of the defining moments of 20th Century pop culture and domesticates it, removing it from increasingly tiresome accounts of the concert’s life-changing nature and refocusing it as a gently uplifting tale of triumph over adversity (and incompetence), and Elliot’s relationship with his parents, particularly his diminutive battleaxe of a mother played with madcap intensity by Imelda Staunton. As director Ang Lee is aware that most of the audience are already going to be incredibly familiar with the iconic footage of the concert, he wisely chooses to ignore the music almost entirely, even placing more focus on the more embarrassing side of the sixties counter culture with a truly awful political theatre company living in the Tiber’s barn.

Surprisingly, given the extraordinary events told in the film and its fairly lengthy running time, the film keeps a relaxed tone throughout – opting for gentle amusement rather than forced drama or comedy. This is particularly true for the potentially problematic area of Elliot’s homosexuality, something which could have been easily exploited to create narrative conflict, but is here presented in a fairly subtle manner. This style of storytelling also complements the casting of stand-up comic Demetri Martin in the lead as instead of being required to display a wide variety of emotions, he mostly provides a warm, likeable presence in the middle of a sea of eccentrics (the most memorable of whom being Leiv Schreiber as tough transvestite Vilma). Martin and Lee both deliver some stand out moments though, such as in a beautifully handled seduction scene between Elliot and construction worker Paul. Also despite the apparent self-effacing style chosen by Lee, the film gradually reveals itself to be a complex piece of film making – many shots from Michael Wadleigh’s Oscar winning documentary on the festival are recreated as well as the documentary’s frequent use of split screen. The sheer scale of the concert attendees is also well presented, with a scene where Elliot hitches a ride with a cop to get through the crowds to the festival somewhat reminiscent of Weekend’s famously lengthy tracking shot of a post-apocalyptic traffic jam.

Although the film could have done with slightly more dramatic interest and a shorter running time, it reveals itself to be a good-natured, entertaining experience, which doesn’t require an appreciation of the music of the 60s to enjoy.