When I first heard the title of the new film That Thing You Do (from the mother of one of the stars, no less!), I wondered: “What does that mean?” When I heard that Tom Hanks was to star in it, I wondered, “What in the world is it about?” When I saw the film, I learned that “That Thing You Do” is the title of a song by a nameless small town band which accidentally becomes a Top Ten hit song in 1964, and it’s about an hour and a half of some of the best, happiest, toe-tappingest, stand up and dance music you’re likely to hear this year. It also features a love story, a story of success and failure, and a happy ending. Sound sappy? It is. It's written and directed by Tom Hanks, after all, but a simple story about a group of friends who taste success didn't prevent me and virtually everyone else in the audience from leaving the theater smiling and humming the theme song. That Thing You Do is simply one of the best films of the year, whether your year is 1964 or 1996. (Note from the Grand Panjandrum: the title song, is, of course nominated for an Oscar¨.)
Jonathon Schaech plays Jimmy, the songwriter for the group (eventually called The Wonders), Steve Zahn is Lenny, the lead guitarist, Ethan Embry is The Bass Player, and Giovanni Ribisi is their unfortunate drummer, whose accidental arm breakage (men, close your eyes for that scene!) inadvertently launches the nameless group to stardom, for when their friend, Guy Patterson, played by Tom Everett Scott, reluctantly takes over as drummer, his inspired speeding up of the tempo of "That Thing You Do" makes the song a local hit.
A seemingly shady record promoter (his office is in the back of a camper!), played by Chris Ellis, turns the song into a regional radio hit and introduces the group to the mysterious Mr. White (Hanks), an executive for Play-Tone Records, who sends the quartet on a tour of state fairs while promoting the song nationally. The viewer soon begins to wonder just what Mr. White is up to: when Mr. White learns that Liv Tyler, who plays Faye, Jimmy's girlfriend, is unhappy about being left behind in Erie, he packs her up along with the band; when the band appears in public, Mr. White manages to have matching suits available for them in each state (seemingly with a different color for each state); when drummer Guy appears in public without the sunglasses which Mr. White has made Guy's trademark, Mr. White produces a pair and insists that he wear them. Eventually Mr. White brings them to Hollywood to stay in "the same hotel that Lucy and Desi stayed when they came to California with Fred and Ethel."
Helped by the hotel's concierge, Lamarr, well-played by Obba Babatundé, the group begins adjusting to life in Hollywood, and falls victim to many of its temptations. Not the least of these temptations is Rita Wilson (Hanks' real-life wife), playing the sexy Margueritte, who, by introducing Guy to his idol, jazz great Del Paxton (played with touching sincerity by Bill Cobbs), inadvertently alters Guy's life forever.
Predictably, the small-town friends cannot hang together under the pressures of instant stardom and begin going their separate ways. When The Bass Player disappears and has to be replaced by a studio musician, the handwriting is on the wall and The Wonders disintegrate. When lead singer Jimmy quits just before the band is to make its most important appearance, one that will put them on a par with The Beatles, Mr. White reveals the fine print in their contract, fires them all on the spot, and has them turned out into the street.
Not the least of the band's crises is the slow and painful break-up of Jimmy and Faye, in which Mr. White plays a most surprising part. Liv Tyler (who recently co-starred with Ethan Embry in Empire Records) gives a poignant portrayal of the girl who gives up everything . . . for nothing — or so she thinks. Tyler, perhaps best known for being in Aerosmith's video "Crazy," has also recently co-starred with Jeremy Irons in Bernardo Bertolucci's film Stealing Beauty; her future in Hollywood seems assured, even if Faye's isn't.
Tom Hanks, always the nice guy, has paid back a lot of debts to old friends by giving them strong supporting roles in the film. Aside from his wife, Hanks has cast his old "Bosom Buddies" co-star, Peter Scolari, and co-producer Jonathan Demme, who directed Hanks to an Oscar in Philadelphia, as well as actor-musician Chris Isaak, who has collaborated with both Demme and Bertolucci in past films.
The most amazing thing about That Thing You Do is that all of its music is original, not just the title song. Almost all of the music on the soundtrack was composed by Tom Hanks alone, or with musician Mike Piccirillo and co-producer Gary Goetzman; Adam Schlesinger wrote the title tune and two other pieces for the film. In spite of its newness, everything on the soundtrack sparkles like a Golden Oldie; if K-RTH 101 slipped any of these songs into its playlist, I doubt that anyone in its audience would complain. Well-integrated into the film, the soundtrack does not obscure the story, but is still strong enough to stand on its own (which is currently available from Play-Tone Records, of course!).
When I left the theater I met film critic Gary Shehan, who was all smiles (as was everyone else). Another critic who was on his way in picked up "the good vibes" of the audience. If life has you down, That Thing You Do is just what you need to get up and dance.
(Note from the Grand Panjandrum: we aren't discriminating against Mr. Schaech, we simply couldn't create a link to his bio. If you'd like to know more about him, connect to the name of one of the other band members and follow the leads back to Jonathan. Then make sure that you come back here!)
