Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9557 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-04-01
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 2
• Formats: Anamorphic, Black & White, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 2
• Running time: 92 minutes

Amazon.com
This splendid documentary captures the band Wilco's 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, there's 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 Tweedy's creative process; but even novices will be drawn into the contrasts between art and commerce brought out by the conflict. --Bret Fetzer

From The New Yorker
The director Sam Jones set out to document the acclaimed rock band Wilco, and his film, which was intended to be a watchin'-the-boys-at-work-in-the-studio lark, turned into something more striking. Over the course of recording the group's current album, the original and brilliant "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot," the singer-songwriter Jeff Tweedy has to deal with two members leaving the band, and his label, Reprise, rejecting the album. The happy, ironic ending does nothing to dilute the movie's air of brooding introspection. Jones's film comes off as a rare portrait of an artistic breakthrough, catching the pressures that can drive a band to perform at the height of its powers. -Bruce Diones
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Customer Reviews

Roger Wilco
I Am Trying To Break Your Heart is a brilliant documentary by director Sam Jones in which he follows the critically acclaimed band Wilco in the process of recording their fourth album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. The film opens on an optimistic note as the band is in the their own recording studio cutting the record. Mr. Jones couldn't have written a more dramatic turn of events when the band presents the album to their label, Reprise, they hate the album and demand changes. When the band refuses to make changes, Reprise, essentially drops them and releases them from their contract. This event became big news in the business and Wilco had the great luck to have a bad situation turn golden when companies got into bidding war for their services. They eventually signed with Nonesuch and the album was released to massive critical praise. The irony of the situation is that both labels were owned by Time-Warner who paid for the album twice. Also, there are some tensions in the band between leader Jeff Tweedy and guitarist and keyboardist Jay Bennett. You don't see any overt animosity between the two other than a scene in which there is a disagreement regarding the mixing of a song ("Heavy Metal Drummer") that is filled with tension, but the resulting parting of the ways adds even more dramatic flavor to the film. Mr. Tweedy is the main force behind Wilco and he dominates the film as well. He provides the most commentary by far and his image is the most widely shown. This film isn't a Behind The Music style expose, the band seem like a normal bunch of guys. No wild partying, just five (and then four) musicians trying to craft an ambitious album. The film has a nice number of live concert performances that are nicely interspersed throughout the film. Mr. Jones shot the film in a grainy black & white that is a nice touch, but it would have been a good idea if he introduced a little color into the film especially in the concert footage. That is just a minor quibble as I Am Trying To Break Your Heart is a first rate documentary that is a must for any Wilco fan. The bonus disk has numerous outtakes as well as an uncut version of the solo performance in San Francisco by Mr. Tweedy that is featured in the film.

Best music documentary I've seen in a long time
I was aware of Wilco when I went to see this movie, but not a huge fan. I couldn't have told you the name of their albums or any of the members of the band - just that I had heard a song or two and like it.
That is the beauty of this film, it is just good whether you are a Wilco fan or not (but you probably will be by the end of the movie). What was supposed to be a "making of" for the band's latest album - yankee foxtrot hotel - turned into an insightful examination of the music industry today. Wilco had enjoyed moderate success and was allowed much more freedom than most in the recording of Yankee Foxtrot. When the record company heard the album, they wanted some changes made. Eventually, they dropped Wilco and gave them back their album.
What you see in this movie is the commercialism of the music industry- which is a necessary part of the industry- fighting with the artistic integrity of making music that means something to you and not compromising (sp?) that. The music industry has to balance artistic integrity and market savvy, however the industry is currently over focused on the commercial and financial side of things.
The movie shows a band that keeps its vision in sight and stays true to their music, and, ultimately, winds up victorious.
I would highly recommend this movie to any music fan.

Not Just For Wilco Fans
I've been a big Wilco fan for quite sometime, and I love their last record, "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot". So I may not be as objective as I should be in reviewing, "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart - A Film About Wilco" which captured the making and distribution of the record. However, if you're at all interested in seeing how the music industry functions, this film does a wonderful job capturing the chaos and sleaze of the music business. My favorite scenes in this documentary involve the Spinal Tap-ish encounters Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy has with the press, with industry types and most notably with his band compatriot Jay Bennett, whom is summarily dismissed 60 minutes into the film. They are very difficult, uncomfortable scenes to watch at times, and certainly give aspiring musicians second thoughts about the profession they are choosing. I was a little disappointed that the remaining band members commentary track with director Sam Jones, avoided commenting about Bennett's contributions to Wilco (at one point of the commentary, during one of the more bizzare non-confrontations Tweedy has with Bennett, the whole band walks out leaving Jones to explain the dynamic of their relationships). Still, if you're any kind of music fan, watching the creative process is mesmirizing. If you're a Wilco fan, this is a must have. The DVD features lots of bonus footage and music by the band, and hearing the original or alternate versions of "Kamera", "Poor Places" and "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" are really ear opening. I'll never listen to "Heavy Metal Drummer" again without thinking of the Tweedy/Bennett spat. All in all, this is a really entertaining documentary that proves the old addage; life is stranger than fiction.