Review of I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: A Film About Wilco (2002) by Aaron A — 29 Jan 2012

"They Hated the record so much they paid for it twice".

Synopsis: Rockumentary following the band "Wilco" in the making of "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot".

The source material is what ultimately carries this documentary above anything other than obscurity. It's extremely well photographed, the black and white imagery accompanies the music perfectly, but most of the actual imagery is typical rock band stuff that you yourself probably made for your own band in your teens with your home video camera. There is close to no real insight into the band or the record its documenting, you can literally find most of the information covered here in any literary article about about Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Intellectually the film is a bit of a disappointment.

Yankee Hotel Foxtrot however, is simply a masterpiece of modern alternative rock (i'm not familiar with much Wilco music, but I love Foxtrot), and the feature is loaded to the brim with alternate takes of many of the tunes on the landmark record as well as music from Wilco's other albums (i'm assuming the ones I didn't recognize were from other Wilco works) and interviews with Wilco and their inner circle, such attractions are enough to warrant a watch by fans.

Though it doesn't offer much for non-fans, I Am Trying To Break Your Heart offers enough for those familiar with Wilco or their acclaimed fourth album.