THAT THING YOU DO! by DeWyNGaLe Rating: A+
That Thing You Do! seems a lot like the story of the Beatles. The truth is, That Thing You Do! is a lot better than the Beatles movies, and some of the music on the soundtrack is almost as good as Beatles music. The only explanation for this is that That Thing You Do! must be a lot like the story of the Beatles, and this is true. Jimmy Mattingly, played by Johnathon Schaech, is a very serious musician. He is in a group with no title at the time, which consists of Lenny played by Steve Zahn, the "bass player", played by Ethan Embry, and Chad, played by Giovanni Ribisi. The four are teenagers growing up in the sixties, heavily influenced by music. Their band performs music similar to the style that was popular back then, especially the Beatles. Faye, played by Liv Tyler is Jimmy's girlfriend, and she also helps out the band when she can.
After Chad is injured before a huge contest, the group is desperate to find a replacement drummer. They end up picking up Guy Patterson, the appliance store working drummer, played by Tom Everett Scott. Guy adds a lot to the group, including the group's new name, The Wonders. At the night of the contest, Guy speeds up the drum beat a lot on the song they are performing, entitled "That Thing You Do." The song sounds much better faster, and the crowd responds very positively to the song. They win the contest, and now the Wonders are headed for stardom.
After winning the contest, more and more gigs open up for the group. Mr. White, played by Tom Hanks, has taken interest in the group's music. Mr. White is associated with Playtone Records, one of the biggest record companies around. Therefore, the Wonders start to be heard all over the world. They produce a single that sells millions. The Wonders have gone from being a group who performs at the bar on the corner to rock and roll shows across the country.
The acting in the film is great on almost every second of the film. There are times when the acting is a little off or unrealistic, but for the most part it is great. Liv Tyler and Tom Everett Scott's performances stuck out the most in the large cast, even more than Hanks's. The acting is one of many things that contributed to the greatness of the film. The way it was filmed, plot, characters, setting, and sound all added a whole lot.
Other than Tom Hanks, at the time of the film, the other stars were barely known by people around the country. Since That Thing You Do!, Johnathon Schaech has starred in Hush and Welcome To Woop Woop, Tom Everett Scott has starred in the Academy Award nominated One True Thing, Dead Man On Campus, and American Werewolf In Paris, Liv Tyler has starred in Armageddon and Inventing The Abbots, Steve Zahn has starred in Forces Of Nature and Out Of Sight, Ethan Embry has starred in Can't Hardly Wait and Vegas Vacation, and Giovanni Ribisi has starred in The Mod Squad and The Other Sister. That Thing You Do! certainly launched every one of these young people's careers.
The soundtrack in That Thing You Do! is amazing. There are various different slow, fast, and catchy songs that are fun to listen to included in the film. The right songs were played at the right times to get you in the mood for the scenes about to take place. The soundtrack in a film is a very important thing, and the makers of That Thing You Do! surely succeeded in this area of the film.
The Bottom Line- Congratulations Mr. Hanks.
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