That Thing You Do!
(1996)
|
Set in the 1964 and steeped in Americana, this Tom Hanks's directorial debut chronicles the meteoric rise--and equally quick demise--of a music group called the Wonders. The talented musicians start out playing in neighborhood joints. However, that changes after they meet a shrewd record executive (Hanks), who advises the boys on how to dress, act and sing. Soon their song, "That Thing You Do," hits number one, and the group is on top of the world. Unfortunately, the song is the Wonders's only hit. And that's just one reason why the group's collapse happens so quickly... In addition to Hanks, the film features Tom Everett Scott, Steve Zahn and Liv Tyler. |
Tom Hanks made his directorial debut with this immensely likeable pop fable about the meteoric rise and fall of the Wonders, an all-American small-town mythical rock 'n' roll band. Set in a period-perfect 1964, and featuring a marvellously evocative soundtrack of cod-Golden Oldies, it deliberately emphasises the Forrest Gump-style feel-good nostalgia, rather than making any hard-hitting statements about the price of fame. Hanks also plays the group's opportunistic manager, but it's sweet-natured Tom Everett Scott who registers strongest as the drumming driving force behind the aspiring Beatles, and Liv Tyler is equally affecting as the band's mascot.
Halliwell's Film Guide
Sanitized 60s rock for those who grooved to Forrest Gump; nostalgia for a simpler, more innocent time (at least, as seen through Hanks's distorting lens) acts as a narrative sedative, though audiences may respond to its generalized warmth.