That Thing You Do! (1996)
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1996 James Berardinelli
RATING (0 TO 10): 6.5 Alternative Scale: **1/2 out of ****
United States, 1996 U.S. Release Date: 10/4/96 (wide) Running Length: 1:47 MPAA Classification: PG (Mature themes) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Tom Everett Scott, Jonathan Schaech, Liv Tyler, Steve Zahn, Ethan Embry, Tom Hanks, Charlize Theron, Obba Babatunde Director: Tom Hanks Producer: Gary Goetzman, Jonathan Demme, Edward Saxon Screenplay: Tom Hanks Cinematography: Tak Fujimoto Music: Howard Shore U.S. Distributor: Twentieth Century Fox
Some time after finishing APOLLO 13, Tom Hanks approached producer/director Jonathan Demme and inquired whether a little script he had written might make a good feature. Demme read the screenplay and not only felt that the movie should be made, but that Hanks should direct it. As a result, The Man Everyone Loves pitched the project to 20th Century Fox officials, and, considering Hanks' amazing box office appeal, how could they refuse? Thus was born THAT THING YOU DO!, an enjoyable-but-flawed look at the rapid rise and even more rapid fall of a pop group during the mid-1960s.
Throughout the brief history of rock and roll, many bands have begun in garages. Most of them have stayed there. Not so with The Wonders (originally called The One-Ders), the pride of Erie, Pennsylvania. Through a combination of good fortune and natural charisma (probably more of the former than the latter), this quartet -- singer/songwriter Jimmy Mattingly (Jonathan Schaech), drummer Guy Patterson (Tom Everett Scott), guitarist Lenny (Steve Zahn), and a nameless bass player (Ethan Embry) -- soars into the national spotlight when their debut song, "That Thing You Do!" starts a dramatic rise up the charts. Managed by Mr. White (Tom Hanks) of Play-Tone Records (not RESERVOIR DOGS), the Wonders become a nationwide phenomenon with TV and movie appearances, but internal friction threatens to turn them into The One Hit Wonders.
Although Hanks' film starts out strong, it finishes on shaky ground. THAT THING YOU DO! is mostly a serio-comedy/fantasy whose light dramatic arc can't support the awkward and unnecessarily melodramatic ending. For most of the movie, the first-time director lets things move forward in an unforced manner, but, as the running time approaches the ninety-minute mark, he appears uncertain how to wrap things up cleanly. The result is an imposed climax that doesn't ring true. Two of the band members split on a whim and the lead singer decides that the commercialization of The Wonders offends his artistic integrity. If the film had adequately built to this moment, it might have worked, but, as it is, it feels manufactured and artificial.
On the other hand, THAT THING YOU DO! contains its share of magical moments. The sequence when the excited band members first hear their single on the radio is one (they run around an appliance store owned by Guy's father, shouting, dancing, and turning every radio on full blast). Another occurs when Guy's previously-doubting family clusters around the TV to watch his debut on the "Hollywood Television Showcase". There's also a recording session that takes place in a church and a rather amusing takeoff of the '60s beach movies (with The Wonders making a background cameo in an Avalon/Funicello-type flick). When Hanks pushes drama aside in favor of just having fun, things click.
From a romantic angle, THAT THING YOU DO! is a disappointment. For most of the film, Liv Tyler's Faye has little to do except tag along after the band offering support to her boyfriend, Jimmy, and silently longing after Guy. Had this triangle been developed, it could have created the kind of believable tension necessary to splinter the band, but we never see much in the way of affection between Jimmy and Faye, and Guy doesn't really come into the picture until Jimmy is effectively out of it.
Tom Everett Scott not only plays Guy like a young Tom Hanks, but looks the part. Jonathon Schaech is perpetually sullen. Despite a significant amount of screen time, his Jimmy rarely appears without a frown, and we never get to learn much about him other than that he's a "genius" songwriter. Steve Zahn and Ethan Embry don't have well- developed characters (Embry's bass player doesn't even have a name), and appear to be on board primarily for comic relief. Finally, there's Hanks, who gives his least impressive acting turn since the forgettable BONFIRE OF THE VANITIES (maybe it's because he's only in a supporting role). For a while, it looks like Mr. White is going to be an unappealing, no-nonsense business type, but Hanks, who seems incapable of playing an dislikable guy, softens White's most abrasive edges and makes him into something of a father-figure.
Viewed as a playful survey of the ups and downs of the music world, THAT THING YOU DO! is somewhat more successful than the recent GRACE OF MY HEART. But there's not a whole lot of musical variety here. By the time you leave, you're likely to know all the words to "That Thing You Do!" since it's played, in whole or in part, about a dozen times. At least the song, which was written by Adam Schleisenger, captures the sound of the era. It doesn't take much imagination to hear the Beatles, the Spencer Davis Group, or some other popular '60s band covering the tune.
As a movie, THAT THING YOU DO! adapts Tom Hanks' most recognizable public traits: affability and inoffensiveness. The problems, none of which are crippling, can be attributed more to Hanks the screenwriter than Hanks the director. THAT THING YOU DO! is a credible first effort, but it will take a lot more time and effort before Hanks attains the same reputation behind the camera that he has in front of it.
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@bc.cybernex.net ReelViews web site: http://www.cybernex.net/~berardin
"We go away from our parents in youth and then we gradually come back to them; and in that moment, we have grown up." -- Ingmar Bergman
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