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CONSENSUS
Besides being a treat for Wilco fans, I Am Trying to Break Your Heart also exposes the workings of a profit-driven music industry.
CAST & CREW
Jeff Tweedy, John Stirrat, Leroy Bach
Directed by Sam Jones
more...
SYNOPSIS
In early 2000, the Chicago-based, country-influenced rock band Wilco began preparing for the recording of their fourth record, YANKEE HOTEL FOXTROT. more...
MPAA RATING
Not Rated
RELEASE DATES
Theatrical: Jul 26, 2002
Video: Apr 1, 2003
RELEASE COMPANY
Cowboy Booking International
GENRE
Musical & Performing Arts, Pop Music, Concert, Documentary, Country Rock, Music, Rock Bands
OFFICIAL SITE
• The Official I Am Trying to Break Your Heart Site
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TIDBITS
LINKS
SUBMIT/EDIT ARTICLE
SUBMIT USER REVIEW
FORUM
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 "Not since Jean Luc Godard filmed the recording sessions for the Rolling Stones' Sympathy for the Devil has a filmmaker gotten this close to the creative process of musicians at work in the studio."
-- Bill White, SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER
"It's a movie -- and an album -- you won't want to miss."
-- Glenn Whipp, LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS
"Presents an astute appraisal of Middle American musical torpor and the desperate struggle to escape it."
-- Gregory Weinkauf, DALLAS OBSERVER
"Not only does this musical documentary showcase a band that's at the top of its form ... it also serves as indictment of the ridiculously shallow, pre-fab music industry in general."
-- Jeff Vice, DESERET NEWS, SALT LAKE CITY
"What should have been an entertaining cinematic souvenir solely for Wilco fans ended up becoming a smart, involving, and occasionally infuriating film"
-- Rob Thomas, CAPITAL TIMES (MADISON, WI)
"Alternately hilarious and sad, aggravating and soulful, scathing and joyous. It's a masterpeice."
-- Collin Souter, EFILMCRITIC.COM
"Sam Jones became a very lucky filmmaker the day Wilco got dropped from their record label, proving that one man's ruin may be another's fortune."
-- Vanessa Sibbald, ZAP2IT.COM
"Offers a nice blend of humor, drama and insight."
-- Bryan Reesman, CITYSEARCH
 "As Tweedy talks about canning his stockbroker and repairing his pool, you yearn for a few airborne TV sets or nude groupies on the nod to liven things up."
-- John Patterson, L.A. WEEKLY
"Is there enough material to merit a documentary on the making of Wilco's last album?"
-- Connie Ogle, MIAMI HERALD
"By candidly detailing the politics involved in the creation of an extraordinary piece of music, [Jones] calls our attention to the inherent conflict between commerce and creativity."
-- Micky Michalec, ORLANDO WEEKLY
"A tuneful, heartfelt tale of artistic struggle and eventual triumph."
-- Moira MacDonald, SEATTLE TIMES
"One of the best rock documentaries ever. Wilco is a phenomenal band with such an engrossing story that will capture the minds and hearts of many."
-- James E. Laczkowski, HOLLYWOOD BITCHSLAP
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"The movie may suffer from creative anemia, but it has sense enough of its raison d'être, and the performance sequences carry the day."
-- Elbert Ventura, POPMATTERS
"A sly dissection of the inanities of the contemporary music business and a rather sad story of the difficulties of artistic collaboration."
-- Frank Swietek, ONE GUY'S OPINION
"The recording session is the only part of the film that is enlightening -- and how appreciative you are of this depends on your level of fandom."
-- Jim Slotek, JAM! MOVIES
"An interesting look behind the scenes of Chicago-based rock group Wilco..."
-- Dennis Schwartz, OZUS' WORLD MOVIE REVIEWS
"Jones gives the faithful a surprisingly intimate portrait of the guardedly vulnerable Tweedy, along with a wealth of potent performance footage that captures Wilco in all its battered and unbowed glory."
-- Karla Peterson, SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE
"The story ... is inspiring, ironic, and revelatory of just how ridiculous and money-oriented the record industry really is. It is also a testament to the integrity and vision of the band."
-- Jeffrey Overstreet, LOOKING CLOSER
"The film doesn't show enough of the creative process or even of what was created for the non-fan to figure out what makes Wilco a big deal."
-- Roger Moore, ORLANDO SENTINEL
"As a study of how the current corporate idiocy impacts one man’s art, it's priceless."
-- Tim Merrill, FILM THREAT
"Wilco fans will have a great time, and the movie should win the band a few new converts, too."
-- Kevin Lally, FILM JOURNAL INTERNATIONAL
"Plays like a checklist of everything Rob Reiner and his cast were sending up."
-- MaryAnn Johanson, FLICK FILOSOPHER
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FRESH 94%
Avg. Rating: 7/10 |
"Largely a for-fans artifact."
-- Jessica Winter, VILLAGE VOICE
"Jones has crafted a natty narrative that, enhanced by Erin Nordstrom's editing, is filled with payoffs."
-- Mark de la Viña, SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS
"The concert footage is stirring, the recording sessions are intriguing, and -- on the way to striking a blow for artistic integrity -- this quality band may pick up new admirers."
-- Megan Turner, NEW YORK POST
"An exciting and involving rock music doc, a smart and satisfying look inside that tumultuous world."
-- Kenneth Turan, LOS ANGELES TIMES
"Fans of critics' darling band Wilco will marvel at the sometimes murky, always brooding look of I Am Trying to Break Your Heart."
-- Mario Tarradell, DALLAS MORNING NEWS
"The plot twists give I Am Trying to Break Your Heart an attraction it desperately needed."
-- James Sullivan, SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
"Functions as both a revealing look at the collaborative process and a timely, tongue-in-cheek profile of the corporate circus that is the recording industry in the current climate of mergers and downsizing."
-- Michael Rechtshaffen, HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
"An undeniably gorgeous, terminally smitten document of a troubadour, his acolytes, and the triumph of his band."
-- Wesley Morris, BOSTON GLOBE
"Even if you don't know the band or the album's songs by heart, you will enjoy seeing how both evolve, and you will also learn a good deal about the state of the music business in the 21st Century."
-- Terry Lawson, DETROIT FREE PRESS
"Woven together handsomely, recalling sixties' rockumentary milestones from Lonely Boy to Don't Look Back."
-- Liam Lacey, GLOBE AND MAIL
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"It's a very tasteful rock and roll movie. You could put it on a coffee table anywhere."
-- D.K. Holm, DVDTALK.COM
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* Who are the Approved Tomatometer Critics?
* Mouse over a tomato icon for a publication's original rating. Original rating not available for every publication.
* In fairness to critics whose last name begins with a letter at the end of the alphabet, certain pages are sorted in reverse order, z-a.
* Certain "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" article data provided by the Movie Review Query Engine.
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mikecandance
| In my bedroom, you'll find: "Plates and cups from midnight snacking, taped episodes of the Golden Girls and a body pillow shaped like a catfish." |
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