That Thing You Do! (1996)
A Pennsylvania band scores a hit in 1964 and rides the star-making machinery as long as it can, with a good deal of help from manager Tom Hanks. Cast: Tom Everett Scott, Liv Tyler, Johnathon Schaech, Steve Zahn, Ethan Embry, Charlize Theron, Giovanni Ribisi | TV-PG-L | Fox Movie Channel | 1:00 PM EST
The 1990s were pretty damn good for Tom Hanks: two Best Actor Oscars, more than a few blockbusters, producing the acclaimed From the Earth to the Moon series, amazing voice-over role for some little animation company. Not too shabby for a guy who kick-started his career with a cross-dressing sit-com role.
Hanks also made his cinematic directorial debut in that not-so-long-ago decade with today’s CPOD. Admittedly the fact he wrote about a fictional band from my hometown of Erie makes me slightly biased (or, as Steve Zahn’s Lenny reminds folks when playing cards, Erie, P-A), but it’s the movie’s attention to detail about that semi-big city’s (once the commonwealth’s fourth biggest) small-town sensibilities, along with the cheery optimism which still existed in most of the country, which cement That Thing You Do! as a classic to me. Throw in it also centers around the music scene and I can watch it over and over again with no need for even the slightest of arm twisting. Great characters, too many great supporting roles (especially Obba Babatundé and Bill Cobbs) and even a funky Clint Howard cameo.
The rest of the FMC day chock-full of classics, too, including Cast Away (featuring RF3D buddy Nick Searcy) at 3 and 9 PM EST and what on any other day would be in this space, Kurt Russell in Miracle at 6 PM and midnight EST. Also one campy classic, Dolly Parton and Sly Stallone in Rhinestone at 11 AM EST.
That Thing You Do! and Rhinestone also available on Netflix streaming.
Print
Digg
StumbleUpon
del.icio.us
Facebook
Yahoo! Buzz
Twitter
Google Bookmarks
Google Buzz
LinkedIn
MSN Reporter
MySpace
Orkut
Ping.fm
Reddit
RSS
Slashdot
Technorati
Tumblr
Webnews.de
Great movie. Great pick.
Out of all the talented young actors who played band members, who would have guessed that Steve Zahn would be the one that became a big star?
Though I expected bigger and better things from Tom Everett Scott, this guy. Must be how much I like the impish characters Zahn does so well.
Liv Tyler made a decent cinematic name for herself, too, plus Schaech got to call himself Mr. Christina Applegate for a decent chuck o’ time.
The evening block on Fox is now called FXM and it has commercial interrupted movies in a switch… so they show Iron Man, etc., but they morphed into a part-time AMC or TNT.
The hell you say, Floyd. Seriously? I don’t regularly check FMC (I’m almost completely a TCM kind of guy, what with my mania for Warners and RKO), but I do like to occasionally scan Fox’s schedule as a change of pace. I’d be pissed to discover commercials in the middle of a movie. Is it a slot when they show only very modern stuff?
yeah — after 1 PM EST roughly.
Don’t forget MGM, justjack. TCM has the rights to show all MGM movies made up till 1985.
Oh, absolutely. Plenty of greatness in the MGM library. But for the past year or so I’ve been more and more fascinated with 30′s era movies, especially pre-Code–and MGM from that period has a tendancy to be a little stiff, a little stagey. Warners–and to a less consistent extent, RKO–seemed to have figured out sound almost from the very get-go. And boy does their storytelling crackle.
Filmed in the city of Orange, Ca. standing in for Erie, Pennsylvania. That famous traffic circle has been in movies from the Cannonball run through Clockstoppers. Typed a mile and half from that very location, I grew up out here, home for vacation. Coincidence? http://www.letsgoseeit.com/index/county/ora/orange/loc02/plaza.htm
Was hoping somebody would mention this. While my first marriage was a near-complete failure, otherwise loved the time we lived in Orange, C-A. That downtown area old-school P-A through and through, and glad I lived there long enough to take my fellow Erie native mom there when she visited. Although born in Everett, my long-time Erie resident grandma dug the vibe, too.
Nice mention of Clockstoppers as well, directed by PA native and PSU alum Jonathan Frakes.
Small world gets smaller………..
So…you’ve arrived in CA and all of a sudden I can see by your avatar that you’ve already gone “quackers!”
Tink said I had to blonde up in order to use “the in cali” moniker.
I was thinking you might go this way though, http://tinyurl.com/64x4u8r
Hmmm, Confucious say, “Camel jockey not far from camel hockey!”
Cute!!! I don’t think it’ll translate as an avatar. But thanks for thinking it through for me.
One hump, or two?
http://dft.ba/-1viT
This was a good film, very enjoyable. I have soured a lot on Tom Hanks since this point, but back then he really could do no wrong.
I’m not much of a fan of Hanks either. I remember seeing him very early on in his career doing some comedy routines and thinking the boy needs to go into another line of work. Some of his work is quite good, but some leaves me very cold.
At one point, I thought he worked very well as an “all-American” type actor. He could easily play the boy from middle America who goes on to some success without letting it spoil him. But he’s taken on a bit of an edge I can’t explain and he’s gotten rather political and that’s taken away some of the sheen.
I’ve only seen this one once and remember enjoying it (especially the Zahn); I was glad to see it on Netflix and have been meaning to watch it again.
My kids enjoy it too, you might try it with yours. We found it mostly harmless.
Make sure they don’t watch the director’s cut where they make it very clear that Tom Hanks character is gay. Not in an R rated way, but it ruined the tone of the film IMO.
Just making it more Beatles-esque is all. Still haven’t seen it, but considering all the cameos in it which were cut from the theatrical, will eventually.
Does anyone know who did the singing for the movie?
Though not exactly sure who did the performance, title track written by Fountains of Wayne’s Adam Schlesinger.
He provided the song’s performance, with Mike Viola on vocals—who was then asked to provide all the vocals for the fictitious group.
It’s a good thing that was a catchy song because they play it so much you would go insane if it stank!
Precisely why Hanks chose it out of all the songs submitted.
It was a great idea putting out an open call for anyone to submit songs for the title track. I always thought it would be neat if they would release an album of the better submissions.
The soundtrack for this film is awesome, highly enjoyable. Available on Playtone Records!
It reminded me, a lot, of my the years I spent in garage bands. In fact, our town had a band called “The Wanders,” made up of high schoolers. They were very good, considering their ages. Seeing this movie was like deja vu for me. It was kind of freaky. It was also very well done.
I had a chance to see the director’s cut of this flick. Made me appreciate the editor’s job that much more.
On an entirely different note, does anyone here have a recipe for homemade hot chocolate? This store bought stuff really sucks.
Here’s one using Hershey’s chocolate baking powder. http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/5265/Hot-Cocoa.aspx
Floyd also posted one once using Hershey Candy Bars; I made it and it was super good.
Thanks, Tink! Lots of flavorful choices, there. I’ll have to find that Hershey Bar recipe, too!
The Oneders!!!!
As in I wonder what happened to the o-nee-ders?
They’re playing at that Italian place down by the airport.
Wonderful family-friendly movie. I love that the movie is almost entirely cursing-free (IIRC, there’s exactly one “hell” uttered). Great story, outstanding music, wonderfully likable characters. I love that subcategory of flicks where everyone is a good guy and there really isn’t a villain–the stories in those pix seem to be more ingenuous about setting up the drama/conflict, since there isn’t some cliche baddie who’s causing all the trouble. That Thing You Do is very high on my all-time faves list, a movie I can watch any time any place, from any point in the story should I happen upon it while channel surfing.