Plot
A Pennsylvania band scores a hit in 1964 and rides the star-making machinery as long as it can, with lots of help from its manager.

Release Year: 1996

Rating: 6.7/10 (30,737 voted)

Critic's Score: 71/100

Director: Tom Hanks

Stars: Tom Hanks, Liv Tyler, Charlize Theron

Storyline
Recounts a fable of a pop rock band formed a year after the Beatles took America by storm in early 1964. Jazz aficionado Guy Patterson, unhappily toiling in the family appliance store, is recruited into the band the Oneders (later renamed the Wonders) after regular drummer Chad breaks his arm. After Guy injects a four/four rock beat into lead singer Jimmy's ballad, the song's undeniable pop power flings the Wonders into a brief whirlwind of success, telling the tale of many American bands who attempted to grab the brass ring of rock and roll in the wake of the British Invasion.

Cast:
Tom Everett Scott - Guy Patterson
Liv Tyler - Faye Dolan
Johnathon Schaech - Jimmy Mattingly
Steve Zahn - Lenny Haise
Ethan Embry - T. B. Player
Tom Hanks - Mr. White
Charlize Theron - Tina
Obba Babatundé - Lamarr
Giovanni Ribisi - Chad
Chris Ellis - Phil Horace
Alex Rocco - Sol Siler
Bill Cobbs - Del Paxton
Peter Scolari - Troy Chesterfield
Rita Wilson - Marguerite
Chris Isaak - Uncle Bob

Taglines: In every life there comes a time when that dream you dream becomes that thing you do.

Release Date: 4 October 1996

Filming Locations: 490 Prospect Boulevard, Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office Details

Budget: $26,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend: $6,208,595 (USA) (6 October 1996) (1870 Screens)

Gross: $25,809,813 (USA) (26 January 1997)

Runtime: 108 min  | USA: 149 min (Director's cut)

Trivia:
Dwight Twilley was originally commissioned to write the title track but his song was never used.

Goofs:
Factual errors: During the montage of scenes from the state fair tour, we see an audience shot of the audience giving the Wonders a standing ovation. The lead singer for the Chantrellines is clearly visible in the middle of the shot. (The other acts would never be in the audience).

Quotes:
Freddy Fredrickson: Miss Diane Dane! There she is. Diane Dane. Look at that dress, huh? That's a - that's a gold dress, like a Wisconsin sunrise.

Meet The Oh-NEED-ers!

Rating: 9/10

Tom Hanks wrote and directed this paean to the glory days of rock n' roll, an era in which even the wildest music still reflected a certain innocence, long since gone if not forgotten, before the advent of Metal, Rap and Grunge. It's 1964, and `That Thing You Do!' is about to become a hit record for a small band out of Erie, Pa., who call themselves the `Oneders (pronounced Wonders),' but who are destined to begin their musical odyssey know as the `Oh-NEED-ers.' Drummer Guy Patterson (Tom Everett Scott) works in his father's appliance store, but when the band's drummer breaks his arm right before a gig, Guy is asked to sit in for him. And it winds up being a case of being in the right place at the right time for Guy, like when Ringo joined The Beatles, and the rest-- as they say-- is history.

It's a lively, upbeat tale in which luck, talent and chance all play a part. Hanks presents the upside of making it in the music business, including the adrenaline rush of hearing one's own song on the radio for the first time, as well as all the hoopla that surrounds those who happen to be in the spotlight at the moment. But he also shows the downside: The creative differences and in-fighting which plagues just about any band ever formed to some degree at one time or another, the personality conflicts and petty jealousies that are apt to surface at any time, and the reality of dealing with bloated egos, adoring fans and rude, insensitive record label executives who could care less about the talent that is putting the coins in their coffers, as long as they're selling records.

For the most part, Hanks keeps it lighthearted and cheerful, which-- along with the original songs (some of which he helped write)-- makes this an entertaining, fun and thoroughly enjoyable movie. He sugar-coats the dark side of it all to a certain extent, which makes the bad things that happen a bit easier to swallow, though it compromises the impact of the events somewhat as they unfold. Then again, he manages to maintain the credibility and integrity of his story, and after all, `this' is the film he wanted to make, and he presents it exactly as intended. Hanks captures a sense of time and place with this film, and also that same sense of reality conveyed by The Beatles' film, `A Hard Day's Night,' intentionally avoiding the more stoic reality of the more recent `Almost Famous.' All three films are fairly true to life, but with varying degrees of honesty. It's a matter of whether to `imply,' as Hanks has done, or to be explicit, as Cameron Crowe chose to do with his film.

With this film Hanks proves that he is equally as adept behind the camera as he is in front of it; he knows exactly where he wants to take his audience and when, and he does it quite successfully. He also extracts some nice performances from his actors, especially Scott, Johnathon Schaech (Jimmy, the lead singer), Steve Zahn (Lenny, on guitar) and Liv Tyler as Faye Dolan, Jimmy's girlfriend, who takes the brunt of the blunt edge of Jimmy's sudden notoriety. Hanks also turns in a notable performance himself, as Mr. White, the representative of one of the labels interested in the Oneders.

The supporting cast includes Ethan Embry (The Bass Player), Charlize Theron (Tina), Obba Babatunde (Lamarr), Giovanni Ribisi (Chad), Chris Ellis (Phil), Alex Rocco (Sol), Bill Cobbs (Del Paxton), Peter Scolari (Tony), Rita Wilson (Marguerite), Chris Isaak (Uncle Bob) and Kevin Pollak (Boss Koss). What `Happy Days' was to television, `That Thing You Do!' is to movies; a film that evokes that perceived sense of innocence of a time when life at least seemed simpler. For the more distance you put between the present and the `Good old days,' the better they get. In reality, they may not have been better, but Hanks preserves that illusion by giving us a picture of the way we'd at least like to think things were. And it's more than a pleasant diversion; this is a feel-good film you'll be able to enjoy time and again, because it takes you to a place you'd like to be-- a place you've been to before at one time or another, in one way or another, if only in your mind. And that Hanks can take you there so readily is not only a credit to his talent, but another fine example of the pure magic of the movies. I rate this one 9/10.

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