Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream

I recently saw Amazing Journey about The Who and thought that was a very good doc. I resisted this one because of the running time (nearly 4 hours) but I sat down this afternoon and watched it. I'm about the same age as Petty so I kind of "grew up" with his music but I forget sometimes how great he is--how profound yet simple his lyrics are. This doc shows his long journey from a kid who just played a little music with his friends to the giant Rock & Roll hall of famer he became. I'll agree with some here who said he appears to be a laid back, go with the flow type of guy. However, there is something just underneath the surface shows how dedicated and driven he is as an artist. Band members came and went but none of them seemed bitter--just grateful to have been part of the experience until separate interests drove them to pursue other things. Even though it's a long film, it moves along and engages the viewer (it probably would help if you're a fan of the music.) All I can say is that toward the end of the movie, I was willing to break my long standing POV that I would never go to another concert. I want to see them in concert now. I probably won't but it did bring back a lot of memories and good feelings about a really great man and his music.

Running Down a Dream (2007)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Peter Bogdanovich's mammoth documentary about the history of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers runs a few minutes short of four hours so needless to say there's a lot of information. I think the film's biggest problem is the fact that it runs so long because even the smallest detail of something will get too much attention and by the time the fourth hour was nearing it was really hurting me. Perhaps it would have been best to watch it in two parts as it is offered up this way. Even with that said, this is a very impressive look at the group, which covers their early bands all the way up to their most recent album. Petty and the group aren't shy about sharing their feelings and this leads to some great and sometimes sad stories. Their battle with their record label is covered in great detail as is their 1986-87 tour with Bob Dylan, The Traveling Wilburys days and even their brief work with Johnny Cash. Stevie Nicks, George Harrison, Jeff Lynne and various others are interviewed along the way. Another great thing is that Petty must have known they would take off one day because he videotaped all of his early stuff including his original drive to L.A. when they were searching for a record deal. All of this behind the scenes footage is terrific as is the concert footage.

I've always loved Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, but like many casual fans, I had a tendency to underrate them. This 3 1/2 hr documentary should go a long way to putting them up there where they belong in the rock pantheon. Bogdanovich gives a warm-hearted and thorough review of the band's thirty-year history. The personal parts of the story are neither glossed over nor sugar-coated, but mercifully they are not allowed to hijack the main theme: Petty's brilliant song-writing and the band's masterful musicianship. I am not, as a rule, a big fan of rockumentaries, but this one is a real gem. Put it on your holiday wish-list!

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.

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?