10 Greatest Rock Documentaries Ever Made
1. Runnin Down a Dream - Tom Petty
It's hard not to look at the start of rock documentaries as anything but cheap. Though they may have valid reasons to be filming what they're filming, the onslaught of big acts throwing their hat into the ring with films of their own feels like a way to make them seem more important than they are. In a world that's overstuffed with more of these awkward dialogues, Tom Petty's Runnin Down a Dream paints a picture of the kind of rock and roller that time has forgotten.
Directed by the same guy who helmed the camera for the Last Picture Show, this near 4 hour documentary takes a look at all of Petty's career as if you're sitting in the room talking with him. Going through nearly his entire discography, this film explores the good, bad, and ugly of Petty's career, from his origins fighting against his record company to his on and off friendship with George Harrison.
Along with the regular interviews with the Heartbreakers, you also get to see fans of Petty sharing what his music means to them, with Dave Grohl and Eddie Vedder getting cameos and even performing with Petty on a few occasions. Above all else, this shows Petty as a man who's never forgotten the power of rock and roll, wanting to spread the word of the music in his old age the same way he did when he was young and hungry. Plenty of artists might like to appear like musical gods...but this is the kind of drifter that you'd follow in an old Western.