Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream

The best rock documentary ever! The archival footage of concerts and especially recording sessions is precious! Dylan, Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison, George Harrison, Roger McGuinn a pantheon of icons all interconnected to the story of TP! Peter Boganovich, did justice to the music and story by not editing this down to a theater friendly 90 minutes. The stories behind the songs were fascinating and I never realized or appreciated Tom's battles with the "industry". Like one of the interviewees commented, I too can remember where I was, what was going on in my life when a certain Tom Petty & Heartbreakers song was astaple of FM rock. 30 years; at the end I felt oh so old, wondering where did the time go?

If you were a teenager during the turbulent 60s and have even a passing interest in Petty's music, you should thoroughly enjoy this film. I'm about the same age as Petty and can totally relate to the influences that drove him to rock stardom. This movie was a real trip down memory lane and a huge eye opener in terms of the talents of Petty and his amazing band. Its a remarkable story really given Petty's very modest background and growing up in the somewhat rural Gainesville Florida. Fortunately, the University of Florida is there, which provided Petty's early band with an eager audience during the formative years. Even more amazing is how at one point, they simply decided to drive to California with some audition tapes and get a contract. And they did! Who knew it was so easy, although there were plenty of bumps along the way. The movie also provides pretty good insight into the ugly underbelly of the music industry and how they manipulate new artists to their own ends. If you are not a huge Petty fan, you will probably be surprised by how many hits this band had. It's pretty remarkable. All the more so that they can still play them all to perfection, despite their advancing age. Few groups of this age can make that claim. I wasn't a huge Petty fan until I saw this documentary. I was so impressed by Petty the person, and a realization that a lot of their songs were pretty easy to play (just from watching them play, I recognized the basic chords), that I took up guitar again after a 40 year hiatus. And I have actually become a much better guitar player than when I quit in frustration as a teenager. Its a fun ride with some intriguing personalities. Petty comes off as a pretty down to earth person, as does most of his band. A refreshing difference from the huge egos that dominate the rock world. Also be prepared to be surprised at how many huge artists Petty collaborated with, from George Harrison, Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash. He is a pretty remarkable fellow.

Tom Petty is one of those 'institutions' if one could call it in rock and roll, though maybe that's too harsh a word to put on a man like Petty, who looks about as relaxed and laid back as a multi-millionaire rock star could get. Beneath a cool veneer lays a bit of harsh anger that really only comes out through his music (from time to time, re: early in career), and he and the Heartbreakers have crafted some of the most indelible, simple-but-complex rock songs of the past thirty years. And Peter Bogdanovich does just about his own version of Scorsese's No Direction Home: a portrait of the artist under the circumstances of those around him.

Where Dylan (who is also featured in Running Down a Dream) had his story unfold as being praised/victimized by the audience and by critics, and his own inward and testy personality a part of his genius, Petty's story is much more related to the band and the nature of working with a group that is so tight and run so well that there is never any kind of break-up. We see how Mudcrutch- Petty's original Gainsville, Florida band- broke-up and soon after the Heartbreakers formed, and a sort of bond that grew not really out of anything overt except that a bunch of musicians who were good at what they could do recognized it in one another, and were friends otherwise because they enjoyed what they do. Sounds a little pat, but as it unfolds Boganovich gets into the mindset of the Heartbreakers, how it's not just about Tom and his songwriting (which is rather incredible at times), but what the other contribute, or don't as case may be.

And it's also a great tour of rock and roll history, as if Petty went through the folds of the second half of the 20th century as if the real all-American kind of kid went along through adulthood. First met Elvis, listened to his records non-stop for years, then heard the Beatles and started a band, got into the hippie scene with his band, then went out more ambitiously into LA and got a record deal right away, became part of a music scene that was all his own amid a 'New Wave' that started in the late 70s into the early 80s, then MTV, heavy drugs, rehab with old friends (Dylan, George Harrison, Roy Orbison, Jeff Lynn), superstar again with Full Moon Fever, and a kind of semi-comfortable semi-tense period in the 90s broken by divorce and a realization that America was going down a bad path of corporate and governmental control. Bogdanovich and his editors have done a masterful job of combining the footage of rarity (studio sets, rare concerts, European TV, personal photos and such) and pop kind (those music videos are some of the most entertaining).

If there is something of a letdown it's maybe only subjective: a few of the performances from Gainsville filmed in 2006 (or 2007 I couldn't tell) didn't seem to have to same energy and pizazz of Petty at his best, with the film's title song being the biggest exception. One song in particular, forgetting the name, where Petty scats through most of it also sounds a little 'off'. But one must give credit where credit is always due: for a man like Petty, who could've retired years ago when the greatest hits were released and Last Dance with Mary Jane, a classic from 90s rock that is right up there with the best of Pearl Jam and STP as solid, standard alternative rock, to still be on the road is something inspirational. Just seeing little bits and pieces of how he works creatively, how it 'comes to him' without much effort, and how if there is a lot of effort it's almost a waste of time- and seeing the equal contributions of the band like the keyboardist and Mike the guitarist- are enough to make me want to rush out to get some of their lesser known, interesting albums.

Bottom line, the best rock doc you're likely to see this year, least about a band with the longevity of the Heartbreakers.

It isn't enough to say this documentary charts the ups and down, the triumphs and tragedies, the hits and unintentional misses of a great American rock and roll band. This very special (and entertaining) document is a definitive statement, not just of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers but of the music business of the 1970s through the 1990s. Peter Bogdanovich (a very interesting source as director) has compiled fabulous footage and minutiae together with recently-filmed interviews with band members, producers, celebrity friends, and musical cohorts to form a testament to a sensational music act. Bogdanovich doesn't even have to try hard to keep this lengthy (238 minutes) movie from lagging; it never does. Lead singer/guitarist/songwriter Tom Petty says at one point, "Nobody cares how a record is made. They only care if they like it." He is, in fact, incorrect here. Well-done documentaries such as this MAKE people care how a record is made, regardless if it hits the charts or not. The running commentary on album gestation, touring, behind-the-scenes turmoil, musical differences, and personality clashes is the stuff of legend. All of it combines to make one hell of a journey, the cinematic equivalent of a CD box-set. ***1/2 from ****

I would like to thank Peter Bogdanovich for putting together a wonderful movie that really showcases the song writing talent of Tom Petty and the synergy of the Heartbreakers. I was riveted the entire 4 hours and wanted more so I anxiously perused the bonus material.

The contributions of close friends such as Jeff Lynn and Rick Rubin helped to illustrate the talents of Petty. The interviews with Tom himself show that he a modest man but you see the impact of his music when you realize all the huge hits he had over the decades.

The movie did not go into his personal like much, but it was interesting to learn that Tom was married to his first wife for over 20 years. It was sad to learn about the death of their bass player due to substance abuse.