That Thing You Do! Movie Review 1996

The Wonders, a small-town foursome, hit the big time in 1964 after a substitute drummer (like that could ever happen) adds some kick to the band's new song and sets the local kids a-fruggin'. Developed by freshman director/screenwriter Hanks (who also plays the band's Svengali-like record exec) as a diversion from Oscar hype, it's nostalgic and uncomplicated to a fault, but engaging nonetheless. Hanks clone Scott puts the beat into the charmingly wholesome quartet, while the underused Tyler is disarming as the put-upon girlfriend. Look quick or you'll miss bosom buddy Scolari as a TV host. Can't-get-it-out-of-your-head title track (played 11 times in the film) was selected from over 300 submissions after Hanks put out the call to music publishers.

Distribution

Fox Home Entertainment, PO Box 900, Beverly Hills, CA 90213, Phone: (310)369-3900, Toll-free: 888-223-4FOX, Fax: (310)369-5811, URL: http://www.foxmovies.com/index1.html, Remarks: Also known as Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

Available on VHS, DVD
Running time 110 minutes.

Cast and Crew

Genres

Comedy Drama, Rock Flicks, Behind the Scenes, Period Piece: 1960s, Team Efforts, Teen Angst

Screenplay

Tom Hanks

Cast

Johnathon Schaech, Tom Hanks, Liv Tyler, Tom Everett Scott, Steve Zahn, Ethan (Randall) Embry, Obba Babatunde, Charlize Theron, Peter Scolari, Alex Rocco, Bill Cobbs, Rita Wilson, Chris Isaak, Kevin Pollak, Giovanni Ribisi, Bryan Cranston, Holmes Osborne, Dawn Maxey, Sean M. Whalen, Clint Howard, Kathleen Kinmont, Barry Sobel, Gedde Watanabe, Jonathan Demme, Marc McClure, Colin Hanks

Cinematography

Tak Fujimoto

Director

Tom Hanks

Music

Howard Shore

Producer

Gary Goetzman, Jonathan Demme, Edward Saxon, Clinica Estetico, Clavius Base, 20th Century-Fox