Watch Taking Off

Taking Off is a 1971 American comedy-drama film directed by Miloš Forman, starring Lynn Carlin, Buck Henry, Georgia Engel, and a host of others. The film follows the story of a middle-class family living in suburban New Jersey who are forced to come to grips with the realities of the changing world around them when their teenage daughter runs away from home to join a hippie commune.

The film starts with a meeting of parents of runaway children in New York City. Among them are Jerry and Lynn Tyne (Buck Henry and Lynn Carlin), a middle-aged couple from New Jersey who are struggling to come to terms with the disappearance of their 18-year-old daughter Jeannie (Linnea Heacock). With no leads on her whereabouts, the couple is forced to face the harsh realities of life without their daughter.

As the days turn into weeks, Jerry and Lynn become increasingly isolated from their peers and other parents in the group. Desperate for answers, they decide to take matters into their own hands and start searching for their daughter on their own. Their search leads them to a hippie commune in upstate New York, where they are confronted with a world of drugs, free love, and counterculture that they never knew existed.

Led by the charismatic and free-spirited Max (Paul Benedict), the commune offers Jerry and Lynn a glimpse into a world that is both liberating and terrifying. They meet a host of interesting and eccentric characters, including a man with a talking parrot (Vincent Schiavelli), a woman who breastfeeds her teenage son (Georgia Engel), and a runaway couple (David Gittler and Kathy Bates) who are trying to make a life for themselves outside of society.

As Jerry and Lynn try to unravel the secrets of the commune, they are forced to confront their own prejudices and preconceptions about the world around them. They begin to question the values that they have held dear and are pushed to the limits of their own beliefs. Through it all, they remain determined to find their daughter and bring her back home.

Taking Off is a poignant and thought-provoking film that explores the generational divide that existed in America during the early 1970s. It is a film that captures the spirit of a generation that was searching for something more than the world that they had grown up in. The film offers a glimpse into a time and place that is now long gone, but the themes that it explores remain just as relevant today as they did over four decades ago.

The film is noteworthy for its use of non-professional actors, many of whom were actual members of the counterculture movement. It is also famous for its use of music, with several musical performances throughout the film, including one by Carly Simon. The soundtrack features songs from the likes of The Grateful Dead, Joni Mitchell, and The Byrds, among others.

Overall, Taking Off is an engaging, entertaining, and thought-provoking film that explores the meaning of family, freedom, and identity during a time of great societal change. It is a film that will resonate with audiences of all ages, offering a glimpse into a time and place that is now long gone, but whose influence on American society can still be felt today.