Movie Review: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin’ Down a Dream (2007). Peter Bogdanovich.

Among the most prized DVD sets in my musical film collection is Peter Bogdanovich's Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers: Runnin' Down a Dream, a 4-disc set that includes a documentary spanning 2 of the discs, plus a full-length concert video DVD of a special live performance the band played in Gainesville, Florida, their original hometown, to celebrate the 30-year anniversary of the band's formation, and a CD containing rare and unreleased songs.

Most of my friends and family know that Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers has been one of my all-time favorite rock bands since the 1980s. I "discovered" them a little late -- by the time I first listened to their music in the late '80s, they had already been making great records and building a huge following for more than ten years. But since then, I have followed them avidly, right through the release of the band's last studio album, Hypnotic Eye, in 2014, and Petty's sad death at the end of his "final" tour in 2017.

There are documentaries about many pop music bands and musical artists, which typically follow a similar format. Interviews (where possible) with the principals are interspersed with interviews with collaborators, mentors, fans, friends and family, along with snippets of live performances, and maybe some footage from studio recording sessions as well.

Bogdanovich's massive compilation follows this same formula, but it stands out as one of the best and most exhaustive such efforts I've seen. Much of its success, which included a limited theatrical release, can be attributed to the fact that Bogdanovich is a major filmmaker and creative artist in his own right, who brought his talent, resources and vast experience to the project. It was also clearly a labor of love -- there's not much doubt that Bogdanovich was also a huge fan of Petty and the remarkable group of close friends and musical collaborators that surrounded him.

The documentary takes us back to the beginning. It covers Petty's family life as a child, including his loving and supportive mother, and his rocky relationship with his father, his discovery of rock music as a young teenager, and how the band members found each other. In telling this story, we hear interviews with Petty, and all the other band members, along with family members, friends and other musicians.

From this point on, we get a very detailed and complete history of every stage of the band's history, from their Gainesville years, the move to Los Angeles, their first recordings and record contracts, live performances, tours, personnel changes, and ups and downs, through the end of the documentary period in 2007. And the interviews keep bringing in surprising new friends and admirers to the tale, including Stevie Nicks, Johnny Depp, Eddie Vedder, George Harrison, Roger McGuinn, Jackson Browne, and many other celebrities and music industry luminaries whose lives crossed paths with Petty and the band, and were deeply affected by it.

I'm sure this documentary is too long and detailed to be of general interest to everyone, but for the many fans and enthusiasts who have followed and loved the music of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, this is the definitive visual and musical account of their amazing career as one of the best and longest-enduring rock and roll acts of all time. I haven't checked, but it may be available to borrow through local libraries, and of course it can also be bought online. Highly recommended.