njbriggs-542-767575 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.

gary-444 A sprawling, glorious, epic documentary of one of American Rock's survivors and veterans which at almost four hours, is probably only about fifteen minutes too long. Commissioned by Petty, Director Bogdanovic has produced a classic in the genre. It's success is due to Petty's long and productive career, Petty's wry and lucid reminiscences , access to some excellent archive footage, and shrewd editing. The running time works out at about an hour per ten years of musical career which in that context is fair enough.It is particularly strong in covering the formative years pre-Heartbreakers.As a long standing fan from the Heartbreakers first album, it was a sweet trip down memory lane. Played out chronologically, there is abundant rehearsal, live and promotional footage from pretty much every era with thoughtful and insightful commentary from Petty and band members throughout. Yet this is a vanity project, albeit a very good one. And although as a testament to a fine career it is about "Best in Class", inevitably there are some critical holes in it.Their "break" in England, which launched their career is sketchily explained. The eponymous first album, launched as Punk/New Wave was about to overwhelm England, is a deeply conservative and derivative, traditional American Rock record. The only concession to the time was that no song was longer than four minutes, and four of the ten were under three. That they prospered was down to the fact that without those short songs, they would never have been played on the radio, that this was no "new band"- it was a road tested and honed unit with fine musicians, and that they had an "anchor song" in "American Girl" which is still played as the highlight of their set 34 years later.When "You're Gonna Get it" came out Punk/New wave ruled. Again Petty trimmed. This time six of the ten songs were under three minutes, the cover shot was a broody, moody menacing one, and single choices "You're Gonna get it" and "I Need to Know" were consistent with the musical zeitgeist. How much of this was down to Producer Denny Cordell, how much Petty and how much unknown figures at Shelter Records was unexplained, but it worked.The Knebworth appearance, which I saw, in 1978 is strangely missed out. It was the moment they came of age. Headliners were Genesis, they were third on the bill behind Jefferson Starship, but ahead of Devo, Brand X and the Atlanta Rhythm Section. In front of 120,000 fans they played a sharp convincing 45 minute set which demonstrated that they had the songs, and presence, to make it. How they got the gig and their recollections of it, would have been fascinating.As a fan, I am a huge admirer of Petty's music, but it is curious how few crossover great songs he has produced. Beyond "American Girl" you are struggling outside of the converted, and none of his albums really earns "classic" status. Is he a poor man's Southern Springsteen? Yet his pedigree and longevity are undisputed? Howcome? This is not explored. I believe it is down to Petty's ability to absorb and then reinvent familiar sounds. You get recognisable, clever well crafted songs, but never anything truly original. He is a synthesiser of musical styles not an originator.To Petty's credit, tensions within the band are laid bare. Jimmy Iovine's scarcely disguised contempt for Stan Lynch's drumming is starkly exposed as is bassist Howie Epsteins fatal drug addiction. The mystery of the arson attack on Petty's home remains just that. The mutual love-in between Stevie Nicks and Petty is another delight. Her obvious infatuation with the band is lavishly covered, and the soft focus shots of her in interview suggest that Petty was at the very least flattered.The Travelling Wilbury's era with Jeff Lynne gives the film a lift although it is a shame that Dylan could not have been persuaded to say a few words. That notwithstanding, Dave Stewart, George Harrison, Dave Grohl and Johnny Depp ensure that Petty is never light of celebrity endorsement.A delight, and essential viewing for fans, and an education for all music buffs interested in American Rock post 1970's.

Richard Burin Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream (Peter Bogdanovich, 2007) attempts to do for the Heartbreakers what Scorsese's No Direction Home did for Dylan - and turns out astonishingly well. Bogdanovich weaves his epic tale of artistic integrity, human tragedy and lasting friendship via interviews, live footage and a wealth of home video and in-studio footage that stretches back to the band's formative weeks. Petty and the group - including fellow founders Mike Campbell and Benmont Tench - are often bracingly candid as they chart their journey from young upstarts bundled in with the burgeoning punk scene to wiser, though no less ambitious, old-timers. Their story takes in ego-driven rifts, substance abuse and the death of bassist Howie Epstein from heroin addiction, as well as the frontman's personal battles with industry bigwigs. There's one telling moment where the singer says: "People ask if it seems like 30 years. It seems like a hell of a lot longer", but this four-hour portrait has entirely the opposite effect, fairly flying by in a blaze of irressistible melodies and telling soundbytes. Fittingly, each band member is given an introductory sketch and a significant amount of screen time. There are also sub-sections dedicated to key themes, like the source of Petty's ambition (a single-minded drive that sees him pinch songs and band members from various collaborators) and the creative process.Though the movie's first three or four musical clips may make you wonder just how the group acquired such a fanatical fanbase, the next 40 will leave you in no doubt, as Petty emerges as a composer and performer of rare talent, happening upon songs as timeless and diverse as Don't Do Me Like That, Here Comes My Girl, The Waiting, Southern Accents, The Best of Everything, Free Fallin' and Learning to Fly. Bogdanovich occasionally fixates on the wrong details uncovered during interviews (surely Petty's descent into drug abuse is more interesting than the fact he broke his hand?), certain passages don't pack the wallop they rightly should and there's a slight dip in the last 25 as the director takes us up to date, but for the most part this is a fascinating film that gives one of America's greatest songwriters his due and reveals the inestimable part the Heartbreakers have played in his legacy. It's also an arresting portrait of a nonconformist - or "a badass", as Dave Grohl calls him - with Petty fighting MCA for the rights to his songs, stopping them from hiking up the price of his 1981 record Hard Promises and preventing his hero Roger McGuinn from selling out. If Runnin' Down a Dream isn't in the same league as No Direction Home, that's largely because Dylan's story has no equal in modern popular culture. This is still a major work - and a hugely entertaining one at that.

rgarbus 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.