Ang Lee is certainly a chameleon of a director when it comes to genres (Sense and Sensibility, Brokeback Mountain, The Ice Storm, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon), but unfortunately his latest offering is only a mild pleasure. While it does manage to remain interesting despite never showcasing any of Woodstock's legendary performances or performers, it seems to lack an overall sense of direction and purpose. Comedian Demetri Martin does a surprisingly good job as the film's lead, and is backed by a solid supporting cast, including stand-out turns by Imelda Staunton as his mother and Liev Schreiber as a cross-dressing ex-marine. There's also a scene in which Martin's Elliot Tiber takes a pill (or two) with two hippies (Kelli Garner and Paul Dano) that results in a visually strong representation of being on acid, which culminates in a fantastic representation of what Schreiber means when he says, "Go out there and see what the center of the universe looks like". The film does have its moments of understated poignancy and laugh-out-loud humor, but neither is consistent, resulting in a film that has emotional weight, but doesn't quite know how to distribute it properly.
Grade: B-
