Tom Hanks is an actor like Henry Fonda. He is likable. Another thing about him is the identifiable characters in his films. There are also some of his socially conscious movies. He won back to back awards for Philadelphia and Forrest Gump. He has written a few screenplays. That Thing You Do is one of them. He also directed it, and stars it it, playing Mr. White.
That Thing You Do is a movie that gives an insight into the music industry. It focuses on a group of young men, from Erie, Pennsylvania Guy Patterson, (Tom Everett Scott), Jimmy, (Johnathon Schaech), Lenny, (Steve Zahn), and Chad, (Giovanni Ribisi). They have a small band that performs locally. They are trying to make it big. They manage to record a single,That Thing You Do! The song gets airplay, and the band is discovered by a local talent scout, Horace, (Chris Ellis). He has faith in the band, and gets Mr. White, from Playtone records to help them. White, believing the band, The Wonders, has great potential, becomes their manager.
The band embark on a nationwide tour, of mostly carnivals, fairs and rodeos. It is when they start their climb up the charts, that they also go on to bigger venues. This also includes an appearance in a movie. It is during this time that Jimmy’s girlfriend, Faye Dolan, (Liv Tyler), accompanies the band. The group appears on the television show, The Hollywood Television Showcase, to perform their hit song. It is during this taste of fame, that valuable life lessons are learned.
Guy Patterson goes alone to a jazz club. He meets his idol, Del Paxton, (Bill Cobbs). He is a pianist, and the two talk over drinks until closing. Guy receives valuable advice. Del Patterson tells him that bands come and go. The important thing is the music. Jimmy, meanwhile, starts to believe he is the main man in the band. This cause friction, between Mr. White and band members. A publicity stunt on the show causes a rift between Faye and Jimmy. The other two members of the band, Lenny and Chad also allow other things to distract from their main focus.
This film is an interesting study of how major success can change people. The members at the beginning are four likable guys, but then their culture shock begins. That is when they arrive in Los Angeles. This is like nothing they’ve seen, and it shows. The band appears to be an American version of The Beatles. They just don’t quite fit into the industry, like The Fab Four.
The film has some good editing by Academy Award winner Richard Chew. He won for his work on Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. There are a few well done scenes. There is the moment when the band members first hear their song on the radio. They each come in separately, showing their excitement. After this, there is the scene of drivers and family members tuning into the radio, listening to That Thing You Do! There are also the shots of the band at the fairs and carnivals. The audience is also shown intercutting of scenes of missing band members activities. Chad is shown having fun with his soon to be fellow Marines at Disney World. Lenny is shown getting married in Las Vegas. Editing a film is a hard, time consuming and sometimes thankless job. The effort made here makes the movie better, and shows why the editing process, makes a movie complete.
A film like That Thing You Do, doesn’t seem like an interesting film. It is because of the efforts put forth. The story may not be identifiable to everyone. It does manage to have a charm of its own. The story shows that it isn’t always this type of success that matters. It is what a person’s goal is, and how they can accomplish it that matters. The other is that it takes adversity to show a person what really matters in life.