An OK movie I guess

Rating: 6/10 (12 May 2004)

Nice little flick by Tom Hanks, about a group of teenagers from Erie, Pensyllvania becoming the next big thing in the sixties with their band, the Oneders (that's Wonders). One would expect the movie follows the routines set in this genre, but somehow it stays clear from it. The hot-shot manager (Hanks himself) is even pretty nice and the band don't break up because one guy thinks he's more important than the other one (what you would expect after drummer Guy Patterson (Tom Everett Scott) is considered the heart of the band while he's just in it for a couple of months).
Too bad though there is this one thing always at the background: Faye (Liv Tyler). She's involved with singer Jimmy (Johnathon Schaech) but somehow Guy is interested in her too. Not that it's an issue throughout the movie, but you always feel it's going to end up like that. But, until that point, the friendship in the band is there and they're just having a good time while their single is climbing the charts...
Small roles as well for (now) oscar-winner Charlize Theron as girlfriend of Guy, Giovanni Ribisi as original drummer of the Oneders (until he broke his arm), and Chris Isaak as Uncle Bob. Oh and I love Holmes Osborne as the father!
Star for me though is Steve Zahn as Lenny. He's so funny! Anyway, a cute little movie here you will enjoy with the entire family, though nothing really special. 6/10.