I Am Trying to Break Your Heart

I can't see anyone who isn't a Wilco fan finding this that interesting, though I would recommend it to anyone who is curious just for the music. There's a lot of great music in here, and the footage of the earlier stages of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot shows the how lovely all the songs are on that album, in the early stages and in their current form. And while I would agree that the film does hinge on hero worship, it doesn't make the portrayal of band dynamics less interesting to a fan. The fact is, it became obvious to me before the Heavy Metal Drummer scene that Jay Bennett is an enormously talented but really really grating, brow beating individual who is very hard to work with. I also think that after several decades, people should get over the fact that rock and roll isn't a communist collective, most bands have one or two figureheads, or centers to the wheel as Tweedy would have it, and that's just part of the bargain of being in a band. If Bennett ever thought that he was equal to Tweedy in Wilco, then it's an example of the fishbowl he put himself in. Here on the outside, it's always appeared to be Tweedy's band and it's always seemed to work that way. The after interviews with Bennett betray his ego and miscomprehension of his role. Maybe that's Tweedy's fault for never expressing it well. It seemed to me like everyone in the band was just sick of the guy. Equally, the manager's job isn't to question Tweedy's moral processes, his job is to serve the interests of Wilco, and he seems to do it well. He actually seems to put the band before the business in many ways and that's good for the band. So, sure, the movie is one-sided, and it could be a much better, much more insightful movie, but just because it is one sided, I don't think that means that the one side is always wrong about everything. And Jay Bennett makes some correct points, too. But that's just life. The film may be in stark black and white, but we all know that life is really gray, it's just Sam Jones hasn't realized it yet.

I am fairly confused reading some of the reviews... this was NOT a fly on the wall, eye opening documentary at all. It was something between an EPK and a longform video. Have those of you making such comments seen any real docs? This film looks like what it is... a great photographer who does not know how to tell a story in a cut, just from his still images.

You learn very little about Wilco and if you are not into the music, it is not watchable. There is 33 minutes before any bit of drama or story begins to unfold. All the hyped record label struggle is REFLECTIVE and only one single phone call unfolds before your eye. I found the film great to look at but hard to watch. It looks like something that was controlled, curbed and guided, not a REAL documentary. I happen to love YHF and the most enjoyable part of this film was hearing those songs but it was a complete distraction to the story.

Some Kind of Monster is a FAR FAR superior film and I cant stomach the music of Metallica. I Am Trying to Break Your Heart is flat, uninspiring and in general does not serve the story it is said to represent...

ash =o)

firstly i'm a huge wilco fan and therefore was always going to like this, even if it was directed by michael bay and shot on a ninety eighties camcorder. It has fantastic footage that allows you to get into the 'wilco world' and generally made me very jealous.

however i don't believe sam jones has any clout as a film maker. The biggest flaw seems to be that it doesn't get what yankee hotel foxtrot really is as an album. Even in the commentary Jeff Tweedy shows his surprise at jones' inclusion of live versions of songs from earlier albums like 'being there'.

The big problem is that the album clearly changed a great deal after mr bennett left the band and jim o rourke turned a collection of good and slightly less than good rock songs into a ground-breaking piece of rock and roll. O rourke made the album great, hearing the versions that were painstakingly put together before Jim came on board proves this and yet Jones failed to make him a central part of the doc, relagated him to one joint interview with Jeff Tweedy when he says nothing.

Unfortunately this film only tells half the story and therefore feels half-finished and padded out with lots of material that could have been put on the, already very healthy, special features discs. Having said all this it is still worth watching but not worth worshipping, a bit like yankee hotel foxtrot (unless you're listening to it on vinyl of course!).

This picture is a must see for any Wilco fan, and I highly recommend seeing it on the big screen if possible. Besides the great concert and 'in process' recording footage, it has great art direction and cinematography. If you're a fan, you already know the stroy; Band makes record, band gets rejected by label, bands fires member, band tours, band gets label, critics love band. Interesting behind the scenes stuff that doesn't make you want to ralph like watching that stupid VH-1 show.

There's something so intrinsically beautiful about watching a group of musicians work so effortlessly in their own environment. Their ambition and their passion comes through in the music, but only a film like this can capture all the details of this phenomena. I Am Trying to Break Your Heart is that film that captures the talent, the perseverance, and the passion of the band Wilco. It tells the story of their recording of their album "Yankee, Hotel, Foxtrot" and how they were given complete freedom to make the record, only to have that freedom stripped from them when it came time to actually release the album. This is a documentary made out of the love and respect for not just Wilco, but music in general.

The film is structured as one would expect from a film like this. We cut between studio footage and concert footage with some breaks here and there that highlight a very specific mood and atmosphere of the film. There is never a dull moment in this film as there is always something interesting going on either verbally or artistically. The studio footage is fascinating as we get to see the nitty gritty process of making a record come alive. We see the most trivial things receive long, sophisticated conversations. This documentary does a wondrous job of capturing what music means to these guys, and how strong their passion is for it. A non-musician type like me might not understand everything they are talking about during debates over the music, but it is still very evident that this band takes their job seriously and they respect and adore music to no end.

Then of course there's the concert footage which also captures a hint of magic and motivation in this band. They play in small venues where the music seems to become more personal as they rock out on stage. This footage perfectly highlights the results of their passion and tireless determination to make their album great. It is evident that these guys love what they do and will surely never stop doing it. They love making art as much as this film loves capturing art. This is a fascinating film that really does show what making art is all about, enveloping a look and feel that matches the somber quality of the band. Wilco's music and the film's atmosphere are incredibly in sync, showing further dedication on both fronts.

I Am Trying to Break Your Heart is also an interesting profile on the band's front man Jeff Tweedy. He is an incredibly interesting character whose love for music knows no boundaries. He does what he wants to do and will stop at nothing to make the record he wants to make. There is an air of pretentiousness to him, but I suppose it goes along appropriately with the amount of talent this man possesses. He and Wilco make great music, but they also talk about music in a way that shows how much more it means to them than the average person. And to see this unfold within the film is truly remarkable.

When you get right down to it, this is just a fantastically well made documentary, and that's all there is to it. It's more intriguing and introspective than entertaining, and it truly is a musicians film. The non-musicians are somewhat alienated at times, but one can at least respect the obvious passion and talent these fine gentlemen display. For a middle of the road Wilco fan who isn't a musician himself, this makes a very fascinating and very enticing one time watch. For musicians and massive Wilco fans this is surely considered to be a masterpiece.