That Thing You Do

Rating: 5/5

In the year 1964, Guy Patterson (Tom Everett Scott) is working in his father's appliance store by day, and playing drums in the basement by night. When a local band's drummer is no longer able to play, Guy is asked to join the band.

Once a member of the "Oneders", Guy changes their sound, shooting the band into unexpected stardom. With the help of their manager Mr.White (Tom Hanks), their song "That Thing You Do" begins climbing the charts, and the band must learn to handle their sudden fame and also keep the integrity of their sound.

For anyone who has ever read any of my other reviews, I have mentioned my weakness for movies based in the 40s, 50s, or 60s. The story of That Thing You Do is great, but it is the film's impressive ability to transport the viewer into its' nostalgic time period that makes me love this movie. It does such an excellent job at keeping true to its' era, that it is very easy to forget that it was made 1996, not 1964.

Each cast member is great and they play their characters in a very entertaining manner, but sometimes it is the side roles that make the biggest impression. Steve Zahn and Ethan Embry play the less flashy roles of the band, second guitarist and bass player, but they are arguably the most charming, charismatic, and likable characters in the film. Zahn's character, Lenny is naive and living life to its' fullest. Embry is simply known as "the Bass Player", and though he doesn't talk very much, he is sweet natured, kind, and maybe even my favorite role in the movie.

A challenge that this movie faced was having to not only write a song that sounded as if it was from the 60s, but be a song that would be catchy enough to be a hit. The title song created for the film is easily believable as a something that would cause a music craze across the nation. Had the song "That Thing You Do" not met the time period so well, the movie definitely would not have appeared so genuine.

An excellent directorial debut for Tom Hanks and an overall great movie, That Thing You Do is a movie where I find myself ready to watch again as soon as its' over. I love it for the way it portrays the time period, the characters, and of course the music.