I Am Trying To Break Your Heart - A Film About Wilco

I Am Trying to Break Your Heart - A Film About Wilco

Amazon.com

This splendid documentary captures the band Wilcos struggles (both with their record company and within the band itself) while recording their album Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. I Am Trying to Break Your Heart is completely engrossing, whether or not you are familiar with the band. As they work on the album, theres some tension between singer-songwriter Jeff Tweedy and bandmate Jay Bennett, but overall the band members are happy and enjoying exploring their music. But when they turn in the finished songs, their record label drops them, leaving them adrift with the album that promises to be a huge artistic leap. For fans of Wilco, this gorgeously photographed movie will be a thrilling look at the life of the band and Tweedys creative process but even novices will be drawn into the contrasts between art and commerce brought out by the conflict. --Bret Fetzer
Rate Points :4.5
Binding :DVD
Label :Plexifilm
Manufacturer :Plexifilm
MPN :7
ProductGroup :DVD
Studio :Plexifilm
Publisher :Plexifilm
UPC :082354000820
EAN :0082354000820
Price :$26.98USD
Lowest Price :$11.98USD

Customer ReviewsFrickes Picks
Rating Point :4 Helpful Point :2
Although Yankee Hotel Foxtrot has been among my top-ten records of all time since I picked up a copy shortly after its initial release, I waited almost 5 years to see this documentary film about the album (released in 2003). Why? For one thing, the album speaks very loudly and boldly for itself. When I heard about the documentary I was resistant to add any more information to the process of understanding this album for fear of detracting from the experience. However this week I finally caved. The album has grown with me so much over time I really wanted to learn more about its creation.

I am hardly an objective viewer and I think I would have enjoyed any film containing the music from the album, but there were some elements that really stood out to make the viewing experience impactful. First was the footage of the bands creative process, developing the material as a unit. I was surprised in fact how well the band interacted as a group (at least at first), when I had always thought of Tweedy as more of a type-A. Additionally, live footage abounded, and there were some very nice performances of "Being There"-era material that reminded me why that album was so much fun. Despite the new emphasis on deconstructionism, the band never lost its ability to "rock" in a more conventional sense. I think this speaks highly for their versatility. Further, David Fricke (of Rolling Stone) and others contributed some very thought-provoking discussion of the clash between art and commerce in the modern music industry. The struggles surrounding this album can in fact be seen as a microcosm of a larger problem impacting artistically ambitious musicians in an era where the publics attention span for such things is shrinking. This in fact points the way towards the rise of indie labels devoted to "career artists" which seems to be occurring right now. Finally, the film had a distinct plot with obstacles to overcome (the band being dropped by its label) and a happy ending (owning creative rights to an album funded by a large label and essentially selling it back to them at a higher cost). In true rock n roll fashion, Wilco "stuck it to the man."

The drawbacks? The main one was the focus on the falling out between Jeff Tweedy and Jay Bennett. It was hilarious to see Bennetts explanation of the ouster (a defensive statement boiling down to: "Tweedy was threatened by my brilliance") yet it also cast him in the worst light possible, lampooning his arrogance to make it seem almost cartoonish. I am sure there was more to the story than we were shown. Additionally, Jeff and Jays discussion over the details of the sounds coming through the mixing boards was excruciating (and fortunately pretty short). It reminded me of watching my parents argue when I was a kid - they obviously both saw the world from a different perspective and it seemed like they just werent going to see eye-to-eye on certain things. I can see why Jeff had to throw up after that discussion, I wanted to as well. This part was a little too close to reality TV drama for my liking.

However this is small potatoes in the grand scheme of things, and the film did achieve its purpose - to help the viewer gain more perspective on the album and the process of its development. It also cast the band in a very human light, as fundamentally regular people working together to create a significant artistic statement. I learned a lot about Jeff Tweedy and crew but not so much so as to make me feel like some kind of voyeur - in other words, the bands personal life was largely left untouched and the focus was placed where it should have been - squarely on the music. And what music it was.

Dont call us, Wilco you
Rating Point :5 Helpful Point :0
Im pretty new to Wilco. Still in that phase where every fresh exposure is exciting, a revelation. So Im ill-equipped to say how good this look behind the scenes actually is. To me, its incredible. Ive been listening to YHF for about a year, and complete familiarity with the work still eludes me. Luckily, because its that fresh sound that brought me to the band in the first place. Anyway, Im still completing my YHF thesis, and this is the ultimate study sheet. The boys, experimenting with the songs on creation, even as I experiment with them on consumption. Its too much, riches beyond belief.

I havent investigated the genesis of this project, but it appears that the filmmakers were extremely lucky. What should have been just another band profile wound up having an arc -- not just one, but two major (and completely unforeseeable) plot points. The fiasco with WB and Wilcos new album, and the ejection of Jay Bennett from the band. The latter worked especially well for me, as every appearance of Bennett made his neediness more transparent. One scene in particular is painful to watch, as Bennett is relentless in having not just his views, but every syllable of the discussion, put under the microscope. Its easy to see how Jeff Tweedy may have decided that this collaboration had outlived its usefulness.

Im not sure how well this movie would work for the uninitiated, or for non-fans. I dont believe that Wilco is necessarily an acquired taste -- I was hooked from my first notes -- but I do think theyre a band that wont work for everyone. Tweedys reedy voice is not the strongest instrument out there, and the bands arrangements are idiosyncratic, to say the least. If you like them, I think youll really like them. And if you dont, you may well wonder what the fuss is about. In the music and, especially, this film. Which takes their uniqueness for granted, as principle #1. If you dont get it, this film may be a tedious exercise, at best. I dont know. This movie was made for me, and I bought it all.

And, hey, as a spoiled Wilco fan, Im looking forward to the sequel. The making of "A Ghost is Born"? Where do I find that? I imagine the title will be "You cant hear it on the radio." Cant wait...

Nice documentary
Rating Point :4 Helpful Point :0
Its a good documentary, black and white pictures, nice concert scenes, worth the while and the money

Wilco fights the good fight
Rating Point :4 Helpful Point :1
Being a fan of the band Wilco (and Jeff Tweedys previous band, Uncle Tupelo), I really enjoyed this documentary. I remember waiting for the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot CD to be released and hearing all about the studio problems that delayed its release for over a year. This movie chronicles that time period, and the fight Jeff Tweedy and the band had trying to battle the labels efforts to change their music to be more "hit oriented". When the album was finally released on an indie label (after the band bought back the rights from the major label), it was a huge critical success. There was vindication for Tweedy and the band. Highly recommended to fans of Wilco, or to those that are interested in seeing a behind-the-scenes look at the current state of the music industry. I applaud Wilco for sticking to their principals with their music, and I remain a fan. Beautifully filmed in black and white.

Bad Documentary with Good Music
Rating Point :2 Helpful Point :0
I was fortunate enough to be at the world premier and have just recently tried making it through this film again. Years later, its not any better than it was the first time. I love Wilco and all the songs so that part of the film is great. Any Wilco fan will eat up all the fantastic performance footage.

Its just not a very good documentary. My general feeling is that Sam Jones approached this as a fan and didnt want to do anyhing that would jeopardize his filming access especially when everything changed with the band lineup and record label. As a result theres nothing here that seems like it wasnt Jeff Tweedy approved. Interviews with the other band members and differing opinions are practically non-existent. John Stirratt in particularly seems surprisingly absent considering how long hes played with Jeff and how many band members hes seen come and go. Jays actual firing is missing which makes no sense unless it was dictated by some kind of contract that Sam was working under. Either Sam wasnt agressive enough with the cameras and interviews or a lot of unflattering stuff ended up in the trash. Its still a great story of perseverance and success but in the end I felt that the film was unneccesarily cruel to Jay and dishonest in its tone in order to make the story work.

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