'We're High Right Now': Taking Woodstock Meets the Press

Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock officially premieres tonight in competition. This afternoon, the film's freewheeling principals -- including (L-R) Emile Hirsch, Demetri Martin, Ang Lee, Imelda Staunton, and James Schamus -- hit the Palais for their press-conference coming-out party.

Ang Lee's Taking Woodstock tells the story of Elliot Teichberg (Demetri Martin), who, in the summer of 1969, returns to his parent's Catskills motel, the El Monaco. When he learns that the planned music and arts festival originally slated for the neighboring town of Wallkill, New York, is canceled due to a problem with a permit, Elliot gets the idea to call the fest promoters and offer up his parent's decrepit motel to the organizers. From there, the film follows Elliot as he shepherds the impending Woodstock concert: He introduces the festival producer Michael Lang (Jonathan Groff) to Max Yasgur (Eugene Levy), who owns a 600-acre dairy farm.

The rest, as most of us know very well, is history. But it's history that's been beaten to death for decades, and Taking Woodstock is a fairly straightforward and not particularly engaging glimpse at the same period. In order for a film like this to succeed, it needs to bring something fresh to the table surrounding Woodstock, something heretofore unknown. Unfortunately, Lee isn't able to offer up anything more than a fairly pedestrian look at Woodstock (yes, acid trips are wild and colorful, and it's definitely funny when old people eat hash brownies). Initial reaction from critics was lukewarm, with many wondering why a film like this was even in the festival at all.

The press conference offered a glimpse at an explanation. Moderator Henri Behar got things off to a quick start by asking Lee his recollection of Woodstock. "I knew there were some hippie things going on," Lee said. "To me it was the innocence of the generation: how you live peacefully with nature. But you have to give those half a million kids credit. They had three days of peace and music. Nothing violent happened. I think that's something. I don't know if we can pull that off today."

Both Emile Hirsch — who plays Elliot's friend Billy, a Vietnam War veteran suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder — and Demetri Martin weren't even born when the legendary music festival happened. "For me, Woodstock was about hearing stories about not showering," Hirsch said. "When my mom talked about skinny-dipping, I was like, 'Stop, Mom. Enough. I don't want to hear any more.' I didn't know people were that trusting back then.'' Martin fielded the same question, replying, "Music was my first impression of Woodstock. I got a chance to research it in the context of the Vietnam War, which was rewarding."

When the subject of the 1960s culture of drugs came up and how the actors handled shooting those scenes, Hirsch, without missing a beat, said, "We smoked a whole bunch of banana peels." Martin chimed in, "We're high right now."

For Lee, Taking Woodstock was a much-needed change of pace. "I made six tragedies in a row," he said, "I was yearning to do a comedy-slash-drama again without cynicism. I thought after 13 years, I kind of earned the right to do it, just to be relaxed, to be happy and at peace with myself." But Lee is aware that making a comedy might not be an easy sell to his fans. "With a comedy, if people aren't laughing, you've failed," he said before adding tongue-in-cheek, "[With a] serious movie, you can blame the audience; they didn't understand it."