Tom Petty: Heartbreakers Beach Party | Rotten Tomatoes (original) (raw)

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Audience Says

A candid glimpse at the _Tom Petty_’s Long After Dark tour in the ‘80s, Heartbreakers Beach Party is a time-traveling experience and a proper tribute to the rock-defying legend.

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Liz Shannon Miller Consequence Crowe has learned how to seem like the band’s friend, which makes the film’s most honest and revealing moments possible. But there’s still enough fan in him for the film to ultimately feel like a celebration of their work. Oct 16, 2024 Full Review Leslie Felperin Guardian Of course, the music is the main attraction and that’s served well, with long chunks of performance footage that aren’t sliced and diced as much as they would be in a contemporary rock doc. Rated: 3/5 Oct 16, 2024 Full Review Terry Staunton Radio Times It's an insightful portrait into both the building blocks of a great rock band and the music-business hurdles they faced along the way. Rated: 4/5 Oct 25, 2024 Full Review Peter Sobczynski Auteurist Class (Substack) For fans of Petty and Crowe alike, it is a must that shows both at key moments in the evolutions of their respective artistic journeys Oct 18, 2024 Full Review Erin Free FILMINK (Australia) It’s a terrific time capsule capturing an essential American band at a key point in their long and winding career. Rated: 18.5/20 Oct 16, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

silent b so great basically watching a music video in all the right ways Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/07/24 Full Review Carrie I thought the documentary was very informative. I throughly enjoyed it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/04/24 Full Review ELIZABETH G Captivating, real, so much background. Loved it. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/30/24 Full Review Hamilton H A must-see for fans. Go back in time to an amazing era for the band, full of TPs great sense of humor. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/28/24 Full Review Gregory A nice glimpse into that period for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/24/24 Full Review Karen Cheek As a huge Tom Petty fan, I enjoyed every moment of this documentary, from private moments to public performances, it was absolutely wonderful! Thank you, Cameron Crowe! Tom Petty forever ❤️ Rated 5 out of 5 stars 10/23/24 Full Review Read all reviews

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Synopsis In 2024, the long-thought lost 16mm reels of Tom Petty in Cameron Crowe's first film, "Heartbreakers Beach Party", were finally found. The classic '80s documentary captures Tom Petty and the band in 1982-1983 as they finish, promote, and tour around the "Long After Dark" album (their final with legendary producer Jimmy Iovine). After its initial airing on MTV in 1983, the film was deemed too experimental and abruptly pulled from the air. In more than 40 years since, it has become folklore to fans, musicians and within the entertainment industry -- even credited with inspiring scenes in Spinal Tap. The highly anticipated and fully remastered "Heartbreakers Beach Party" is a fun, candid, fast paced, and musically rich ride with America's greatest rock & roll band, a time capsule of the dawn of the MTV era, and a rare and shining glimpse into Tom Petty's lasting creative genius.

Director

Cameron Crowe, Doug Dowdle, Phil Savenick

Producer

Phil Savenick, Cameron Crowe, Adria Petty, Greg Mariotti, Sarah Haber

Distributor

Trafalgar Releasing

Production Co

Levels Audio Post

Genre

Documentary, Music

Original Language

English

Release Date (Theaters)

Oct 17, 2024, Limited

Release Date (Streaming)

Mar 11, 2025

Runtime

1h 30m