Taking Woodstock
A man working at his parents' motel in the Catskills inadvertently sets in motion the generation-defining concert in the summer of 1969.
The film financial setback against its mid-range budget of $30.0M, earning $10.0M globally (-67% loss). While initial box office returns were modest, the film has gained appreciation for its distinctive approach within the biography genre.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Taking Woodstock (2009) exemplifies strategically placed dramatic framework, characteristic of Ang Lee's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours. With an Arcplot score of 6.5, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Elliot Tiber
Jake Teichberg (Sonia)
Jake Teichberg
Michael Lang
Vilma
Devon
Billy
Main Cast & Characters
Elliot Tiber
Played by Demetri Martin
A struggling interior designer who helps bring Woodstock to his parents' motel, discovering himself in the process
Jake Teichberg (Sonia)
Played by Imelda Staunton
Elliot's domineering, pragmatic mother who runs the El Monaco motel with an iron fist
Jake Teichberg
Played by Henry Goodman
Elliot's gentle, henpecked father who endures his wife's constant criticism
Michael Lang
Played by Jonathan Groff
The visionary producer of Woodstock who partners with Elliot to make the festival happen
Vilma
Played by Liev Schreiber
A cross-dressing ex-Marine veteran who becomes Elliot's friend and confidant
Devon
Played by Dan Fogler
A free-spirited hippie who opens Elliot's eyes to new experiences and perspectives
Billy
Played by Emile Hirsch
A troubled Vietnam veteran staying at the motel who represents the war's psychological toll
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Elliot returns to his parents' rundown El Monaco motel in White Lake, trapped in a life of servitude to his demanding mother Sonia and defeated father Jake, living a closeted existence far from his aspirations in New York City.. Structural examination shows that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 14 minutes when Elliot learns that a music festival needs a new venue after being rejected by the neighboring town of Walkill. He realizes this could be the opportunity to save the motel and make something happen.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 31 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 26% of the runtime. This demonstrates the protagonist's commitment to Elliot signs the permit and fully commits to hosting Woodstock, officially becoming the epicenter of the festival despite escalating opposition from locals and his own family. The new world of liberation has begun., moving from reaction to action.
At 60 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Significantly, this crucial beat The festival officially begins with massive crowds arriving. Elliot experiences a false victory as he's at the center of a historic event and gaining confidence, but the overwhelming scale and his internal conflicts remain unresolved. Stakes are now public and enormous., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 90 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Elliot has an intense confrontation with his mother Sonia, who embodies all the repression and fear he's internalized. He faces the death of his old self and the impossibility of returning to his former life, but hasn't yet embraced his true identity., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 96 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Elliot takes LSD and experiences a transformative trip in the van with two men, finally surrendering to self-discovery and accepting his identity. He synthesizes the festival's message of liberation with his personal need for authenticity., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Taking Woodstock's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs proven narrative structure principles that track dramatic progression. By mapping Taking Woodstock against these established plot points, we can identify how Ang Lee utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Taking Woodstock within the biography genre.
Ang Lee's Structural Approach
Among the 12 Ang Lee films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.8, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Taking Woodstock takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Ang Lee filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional biography films include After Thomas, The Fire Inside and Saint-Exupéry. For more Ang Lee analyses, see Life of Pi, The Wedding Banquet and Sense and Sensibility.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Elliot returns to his parents' rundown El Monaco motel in White Lake, trapped in a life of servitude to his demanding mother Sonia and defeated father Jake, living a closeted existence far from his aspirations in New York City.
Theme
A theater troupe member tells Elliot, "Sometimes you have to create your own paradise," foreshadowing his need to break free and transform his circumstances.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of Elliot's suffocating world: his overbearing mother Sonia, his withdrawn father, the failing motel facing foreclosure, the conservative town chamber of commerce, and Elliot's secret identity as a gay man in 1969 rural America.
Disruption
Elliot learns that a music festival needs a new venue after being rejected by the neighboring town of Walkill. He realizes this could be the opportunity to save the motel and make something happen.
Resistance
Elliot debates whether to invite the festival, faces resistance from his parents and the conservative town, contacts producer Michael Lang, and navigates the growing chaos as the festival organizers arrive and begin transforming the area.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Elliot signs the permit and fully commits to hosting Woodstock, officially becoming the epicenter of the festival despite escalating opposition from locals and his own family. The new world of liberation has begun.
Mirror World
Elliot encounters the free-spirited theatrical troupe and develops a connection with Vietnam veteran Billy, who represents the freedom and authenticity Elliot craves. This relationship becomes the thematic heart of his transformation.
Premise
The promise of the premise: Elliot experiences the growing counterculture phenomenon, witnesses the influx of hundreds of thousands of young people, navigates the chaos with the organizers, explores new freedoms, and begins opening up to possibility.
Midpoint
The festival officially begins with massive crowds arriving. Elliot experiences a false victory as he's at the center of a historic event and gaining confidence, but the overwhelming scale and his internal conflicts remain unresolved. Stakes are now public and enormous.
Opposition
External and internal pressures mount: his mother's anger intensifies, the town's hostility grows, logistical nightmares escalate, Elliot struggles with his identity and place in this revolution, and he realizes he's observing liberation rather than living it.
Collapse
Elliot has an intense confrontation with his mother Sonia, who embodies all the repression and fear he's internalized. He faces the death of his old self and the impossibility of returning to his former life, but hasn't yet embraced his true identity.
Crisis
Elliot processes his emotional breakdown and confronts his deepest fears about identity, family, and belonging. He wanders through the festival in a state of crisis, disconnected from both his old world and the new one surrounding him.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Elliot takes LSD and experiences a transformative trip in the van with two men, finally surrendering to self-discovery and accepting his identity. He synthesizes the festival's message of liberation with his personal need for authenticity.
Synthesis
Elliot emerges transformed, witnesses the festival's climax with new eyes, reconciles with his parents from a place of self-acceptance, says goodbye to Billy and the others, and prepares to leave for a new life with newfound clarity about who he is.
Transformation
Elliot drives away from the motel and White Lake, looking back at the site one final time before heading toward his authentic future. Unlike the opening where he was trapped, he now leaves as a liberated man who found himself by helping create Woodstock.