That Thing You Do!

Similarly to The Great Muppet Caper, That Thing You Do! was one of those movies that I watched multiple times as a kid. Depending on what movies I find, this week may be my nostalgic week, watching movies from my childhood and recollecting on what made them entertaining as a kid and whether or not they hold up.

I literally have no idea how my parents found this film. Apparently they had heard it from a family friend but then it begs the question, where did they hear about it? Everyone I talk to has no idea that this movie exists. The main reason people know what this movie is is because I showed it to them.

Its obviously not a movie Tom Hanks to incredibly noted for, and none of the band members besides Liv Tyler really made it incredibly big, so how did we find this film?

That Thing You Do is a a film about a group of guys who start a band in Eerie  Pennslyvania. It first starts out as just a local thing, playing at a high school dance. And then they get a gig playing at a restaurant, then they get recognized by a talent scout, then they start doing State Fairs, and it just keeps escalating until they're in Hollywood making it big on the national level.

The band is composed of very different personalities

The drummer Guy "Skitch" Patterson (played by Tom Everett Scott), grows up working in his father's appliance store. He's incredibly  fascinated with jazz and has this cool facade about him but he's actually kind of a dork and not very popular. He's probably the most grounded of the band.

Then you have Jimmy (played by Johnathon Schaech) who is the leader of the band. He puts the music in front of everything and is skeptical of every decision they make. As a kid I always saw him as an asshole, and in a sense he is. But I've figured out that Jimmy actually is more of a purist when it comes to the band. He doesn't want to play the games of record companies, he just wants to get his music out there and reap the fame from that pure music.

Then you have Lenny (played by Steve Zahn). This is the role that made me love Steve Zahn. I really wish he was in more movies because the guy is just funny and just looks like he's having a blast. Lenny plays guitar and backup vocals. He's described as the fool of the group and he brings probably the most comic relief of the film.

And then there's the Bass player. They never disclose his name. He's just the Bass Player. As a kid I never understood that, now I think its hilarious.

Apart from the main parts of the band you have Jimmy's girlfriend, Faye (played by Liv Tyler). She's the shy soft spoken hometown girl that Liv Tyler kind of plays in everything she does. I think Tyler plays this part really well.

And then you have Tom Hanks as Mr. White.

And its no surprise. Tom Hanks rocks it in this film. Both as an actor and the director. Its surprising that this is actually one of the only movies that Tom Hanks has ever directed.

Why? I don't know. It was also one of the only films he wrote as well. Why? I don't know.

Hanks as Mr. White was just a brilliant choice because he's a brilliant agent. He's just got that class and knows what he's doing but you figure out he does actually care about these young people. He wants to see them succeed and there's no point where you ever doubt his intentions.

Its just amazing that this movie isn't more well known.

The writing is a little cheesy at times but it just seems fun most of the time. It goes through the motions of a band being a one hit wonder. Its got a lot of heart to it and its not really trying to be anything more than a good time.

The funny part is that this movie seems like it would be a true story. The characters are so likable and the way they maneuver through this seemingly fictional 1960s world seems like it would be a true story.

While Hanks probably pulled influence from a couple bands, ones even called the Wonders, this movie is fictional. But its just interesting that I thought that it was a true story as a kid and my girlfriend, who I was watching it with last night thought it was based on a true story as well.

The movie even concludes with showing each member of the band and telling what happened to them.

Its similar to the ending of The Sandlot.

We know that characters like this are not real but for some reason the Sandlot would not be the same if they hadn't mentioned at the end what happened to all the kids.

And the same goes for That Thing You Do! While the works are fictional, its focusing on how a certain activity or thing like Baseball or being in a band affected their lives in such a big way and then they just go off to do these different things than what they planned.

I'm elaborating too much on the Sandlot comparison but its just interesting when movies bring in what happened to these people as if we could look them up now and see where they are now.

Now the movie isn't infallible. Its always a good sign for a movie to hold up through the times when I can quote each line from the movie, and I did that with That Thing You Do! But there are a couple of things that they probably could have fixed with the film.

The dialogue is a little cheesy. This isn't a huge critique of the movie, especially since a lot of the cheesy dialogue adds to the humor. However, there are a couple moments that make the movie just a little bit fluffy.

Now obviously Tom Hanks didn't want this to be a really serious movie about being in a band or the perils of the music industry. I kind of imagine that's what the movie Jersey Boys may be about, I don't know.

But there is a point where Guy is talking to his music hero and he's talking about all the things that can break up a band and he says, money, women, the road. With the current knowledge I have now, you probably could add drugs, sex, and a lot of other things to that list. Things that probably would have made the movie a little grittier.

But again, let's keep this in perspective. This is a movie about a band in the 60s with a lot of humor in it. Its not trying to make a huge statement about the music industry, its just trying to tell a story. So while it would have been interesting to see how this movie could have gone, I'm really glad it worked out the way it did.

One of the other "complaints" I have with this movie is the fluidity of the story. Working with a fictional band in a world that is relatively real but a company that is full of other fictional bands can be a little bit confusing. For example, the Bass Player has a crush on the members of the band called the Chantrelines. But the way its written, we don't know what the Chantrilenes are. Until later you don't really know exactly what a Chantrilene is and why the Bass Player likes them.

This wouldn't be a huge deal if it wasn't for Guy's love for the music of Del Paxton.

If you're not paying attention, you may not know who Del Paxton is until well into the movie and you don't get what it means to Guy when he not only meets Del but gets to jam with him. To the person not paying attention, he may just be some random guy Guy meets and gets advice from.

That being said, there's so many good things they did with this film. You can tell Tom Hanks told all his friends he was directing a movie and they all wanted to get in on it, one way or another. The movie is littered with cameos and performances from a wide range of people. From actors Hanks starred in movies with, to his wife playing a cocktail waitress.

Overall, the movie is very funny and its got a lot of heart to it. I still don't know why its not a more popular movie and more people don't know about it but who knows there's probably going to be a lot of movies that I see in this day and age that I'll think are really funny but forget and they're go into obscurity the same way this movie did. That being said, its a movie you should really check out.

But those are my thoughts on That Thing You Do! What do you think about it? Is it a 90s classic or is it overrated and Tom Hanks should never direct and write a movie again. Comment and discuss below!

I'll leave you with this. It would be silly of me not to leave you with the song that is just so catchy from this film. Here's That Thing You Do! Enjoy!