Running Down a Dream

Florida natives Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have been around for thirty years. Whatever you think about them, that's a pretty impressive achievement given that most bands burn out in a few years or have a revolving door replacing members or are tired shells of themselves on the nostalgia circuit. To celebrate, Peter Bogdonavich has directed a four hour (yes, you read that right) documentary about the history of the band. Is the band really good enough to sustain a four hour documentary? All Music Blog notes that it's longer than Sorcese's celebrated Dylan bio No Direction Home. Putting that aside, the film is named after a Petty song from the album Full Moon Fever. While it's a great song, perhaps Petty's best, Full Moon Fever is a solo album. While some of the Heartbreakers performed on the album, it's still a solo album and it doesn't seem appropriate to use as a title for a sprawling four hour film celebrating a band a single from the frontman's solo album. Imagine a Rolling Stones documentary called Primitive Cool.