Taking Woodstock (15)

"IF you remember Woodstock . . . you probably weren't there!" Or so says every pub bore in the land, who also wasn't at Woodstock.

Director Ang Lee doesn't remember Woodstock either, mainly because he was at high school in Taiwan at the time.

So it's kind of fitting that even after watching his new film about the legendary 1969 music festival, you'll barely remember seeing a second of actual Woodstock in it.

Top US stand-up Demetri Martin stars as Elliot, the son of an elderly Jewish couple (Henry Goodman and a fantastic Imelda Staunton) whose motel business is going down the pan.

Elliot hears that an old friend is trying to stage a music festival, so offers his neighbour's field as a venue. And the rest of the film is basically the build-up to the fest through Elliot's eyes, as peace and love come to his tiny village.

Like I said, there's not a lot of actual Woodstock in Taking Woodstock. The film's about the ripple-effect of the three-day bash on community's members, like drug-addled Vietnam veteran Billy (Emille Hirsch).

There's not much music - so don't expect to see a Hendrix lookalike rattling out the Star-Spangled Banner.

But weirdly, there is a lot of split-screen. which means on one half of the picture you'll get a randy couple in the bushes bouncing down the Free Love Freeway, while on the other a third party thumps a pair of bongos. It's like the weirdest episode of 24 you've ever seen.

It's also a very sweet film - slow-paced but charming and easygoing.

This ain't Ang Lee's usual bag, baby. But after the high-falutin' miseries of Brokeback Mountain and Lust, Caution, a bit of peace and love is fine by me.

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