Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream

I will first acknowledge Salmon 11's review where he notes there is very little discussion in the film of about any of Tom's relationships outside the band...his marriage is almost never mentioned outside the production of Echo and his divorce, and his remarriage, to Dana, is only glimpsed at. How much of this is due to Bogdanovich, vs. how much to Tom's wishes, is unknown, but we never see that side of Tom.Other than that, this film is eye-opening and perhaps the most historically perfect of any rock documentary I've ever seen. This is due to completeness in story telling, completeness in artifact, and story line itself.1) completeness in story telling - covers ever major "stop" in Tom's music career and growth. Except the whole "disco sucks" movement there wasn't much about that2) completeness in artifact - miraculously, one early member of Mudcrutch kept an 8mm camera at hand's reach. This is only mentioned on the liner notes on the Blu-Ray. So in addition to all the publicly available archival footage, there is a huge trove of "in-house" very intimate footage from the VERY early years, in addition to stuff you never usually would see, production sessions such as when Tom counsels Roger McGuinn to turn down a song the recording company has written for him, or when they are busted going through German customs. The film is a four-hour monster, but it all "does belong", one simply cannot ignore the wealth of material they had at their disposal to illustrate the narrative. For me, this is the most unprecedented part of the picture.3) story line itself - what can you say? Historic? Perfect? Made-to-order? The rock and roll dream come true? In living color? Has it all.A few separate notes: Tom's battles against the recording industry are well-marked: first, the fight for his publishing rights, then, to have control over record pricing. Well-fought battles and well won.Second, his cynicism for the modern media machine that produces "rock stars" on television shows. If there's one thing you learn from Tom's life, is wisdom and experience are earned and lived, and to an extent passed down. They are not "manufactured" as many would like. And sometimes, to really stand up and be heard, you have to buck the system.The Heartbreakers themselves are about as nice, talented and tight a bunch of guys you would ever want to meet. They are Tom's complement to perfection and that is our point of view. It's a gratifying line to the story when the original bass player rejoins the band.Highly recommended. You will need but won't regret the four hours' run time. Enjoy and watch how it's done.

I remember liking the music that Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers made when they first came along. My rock and roll listening years coincide pretty much with their history. And I'm from central Florida too, so it made it a little more special I guess that they were a good band. I remember the buzz that "damn the torpedoes" created when it came out. So many great songs on one album didn't seem possible. But to be fair, I didn't try to be an expert on them. I'm not an expert on much of anything. But if you were young during the 60's and 70's, and you liked listening to fm radio, then you can better judge my qualifications. But I do remember an early thought, that Tom Petty sounded like one of Bob Dylan's incarnations.The biographical movie (the product being reviewed) is good. It's made in modern times, so you get some good quality sound and video for your home system. I enjoy this modern way to enjoy rock and roll, and own several other dvd format covers of rock legends. This one on Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers is a good mix of talk and music. It's pretty much all positive perspective, so I'd guess it was conceived and financed by themselves (Tom Petty). That doesn't bother me, because it delivers good entertainment value, and I already liked the music. I wasn't looking for someone to knock them down anyway.I'm sort of old now, but I was paying attention when the Beatles were still new and Ed Sullivan was important, "The times, they are a changin" was being covered in all the grade school talent shows, and everyone knew who Roy Orbison was. So when the Traveling Wilburys popped up, and the album was great....that was a great joy for me. Tom Petty seems to understand how special that opportunity was for him, which I'm happy to know.The "other" disc is a concert in Gainesville, Florida. It features the modern band line up (which is fine). As a historical document, it's unfortunate that Petty doesn't look well and seems medicated (to me). Everyone will have their favorite songs, so I won't try to add something meaningful here. But I will say, I enjoyed watching another concert video from much earlier in their career that was killer. Search for Santa Monica New Years concert 1978. The band is really good live.I got one of those email reminders to go to amazon and review this purchase. So I'm here, but I can't really offer anything more profound that what others have said. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have released some great songs and albums. There are unrecognized gems that never get heard. One of my favorites is their cover of Dylan's "License to Kill" for his 30 year all star concert. You can watch it on a youtube search. It really grabs me in a way I can't explain....

Yes, this is a very good documentary. Maybe one of the best, if you are a Tom Petty fan (who isn't). However, I would suggest a rental. Why? Because, it is only a documentary. No music. Seems to me there should have been some included on a DVD you actually buy. I mean, I've paid less for his music, and I relisten to his tunes all the time. Yes, I might rewatch this, but not much, and years apart likely. I guess I felt I was going to get some tunes too (my bad). Anyway, it is well worth the watch, but not the money you pay for only a documentary (maybe for die hard fans).I suggest High Grass Dogs - Live From The Fillmore, now that is one awesome DVD. Good luck getting it.RIP Tom. Thanks for the life time of tunes.

Granted I’m a lifelong (remember listening to DTT on the radio when it was first released) TP&THB fan (and now lead guitarist of a nationally touring “tribute” (no wigs, costumes or silly top hats) to the aforementioned artist, but having said that, this has got to be quite possibly the BEST musical doc ever produced! There’s a reason it’s 4 hours long. It HAS to be. If you’re a fan of Standing In The Shadows Of Motown, The Wrecking Crew, Muscle Shoals and Tom Dowd & The Language of Music (sleeper), I highly recommend! I can’t believe this was a business right off ;)