Cameron Crowe's Tom Petty Documentary

The new (to most of us) 'Heartbreakers Beach Party'

I'll watch anything Cameron Crowe makes, I'm in for life. 'Say Anything' and 'Singles' were iconic. And of course, his book and the screenplay for 'Fast Times at Ridgmont High' are legendary. Then came 'Jerry Maguire' and 'Almost Famous' and those to me are as good as movies get.

And then there's Tom Petty. You always hear about the likes of Dylan and Springsteen. But for me, Petty was the real artist. Sure, he has the iconic tracks like 'I Won't Back Down' and 'Free Fallin'', but beyond that, buried deep down in the album cuts are some of the greatest songs ever written.

Crowe's movies have always been buoyed by the inclusion of Petty's music, but here we get to see it work the other way. The brilliance of Tom Petty is brought to us by a youthful, excitable young version of Cameron Crowe.

(The way I wrote that last sentence makes Cameron Crowe sound like some naive teenager -- but what I like about him as a writer and filmmaker is that he's always held on to that quality. He's a fan first, and that bleeds into all of his output. I love it!)

This film is brand new. Or at least, it is to most of us. But it's also 40 years old. 95% of what you see was filmed in the early 1980s. After the original film finishes, we see a little bit of new footage filmed by Crowe, along with Tom Petty's daughter, Adria. The impact of the new material is very touching.

'Heartbreakers Beach Party' was originally released on MTV in 1983, but was swiftly cut from programming and forgotten about. I class myself as a huge fan of Cameron Crowe, yet I had no idea this movie existed until I stumbled upon the trailer only a few days ago.

To find out there's a new (old?) Cameron Crowe documentary about Tom Petty is like most people finding out Elvis Presley is still alive and in a new documentary directed by Quentin Tarantino. This is genuine bliss for me.

Off I trundled to the Everyman Cinema in Chelmsford, to see this new/old release. This was special to me for numerous reasons. I am only days away from becoming a Dad for the first time. Solo cinema trips have become increasingly rare in recent years. But to see that there's something out by one of my favourite filmmakers, about one of my favourite musicians, it's a great way to mark this moment. If I don't see go see a film on my own for the next decade, I can be happy that this was my last one, because it felt like a piece of me. Not much could excite me more than to unexpectedly see a new release with these two names attached.

Am I recommending you see this documentary? Only if you're a fan of Cameron Crowe, or Tom Petty, or both. I don't think you get incredible insight into Petty the way you do Michael Jordan in 'The Last Dance.' This isn't the definitive piece on Tom Petty, and nor is it meant to be.

What 'Heartbreakers Beach Party’ is meant to be is a long forgotten b-side. Forgotten for years, recently remembered. A welcome addition to the catalogue of two incredible artists.

"The character who is Tom Petty and me, they’re the same guy. I didn’t leave the room so that Tom Petty could speak, you know — it’s me. I’m the guy."

-Tom Petty