1964 once more

Rating: 7/10 (4 February 2008)

Tom Hanks' writing and directorial debut, 'That Thing You Do!', will probably not go down in history as a classic along the lines of 'Forrest Gump' or 'Saving Private Ryan,' but I find it one of those movies I love to revisit every six months or so. It has an easy-going charm about it, low-key and yet wonderfully evocative of the period it presents, that magical year of 1964, after the Beatles had arrived and changed music forever, and every teenage kid wanted to start his own rock band. 'That Thing You Do!' was a modest success at the box-office, and the critics were generally kind to Hanks' first try at directing. Just below the surface, though, one could tell people were surprised and in some cases disappointed that his initial effort wasn't somehow more substantial, or biting, or something. I take it these people were someplace else in 1964. In the film, Jimmy (Jonathan Schaech) is the one who starts the band, the one with big dreams and a fair amount of talent. The other three band members are pretty much along for the ride, wherever it leads them, and if it doesn't lead anywhere, that's okay... they weren't doing anything anyway. Lenny (Steve Zahn) is the goofy lead guitarist; there's the unnamed bass player (Ethan Embry) who's even goofier (listed in the credits as T.B. Player; clever how they go through the whole movie without calling him by name); and the drummer Guy (Tom Everett Scott), who is a last-minute replacement for their regular drummer after he falls off a parking meter and breaks his arm. Guy is in his own way just as much a music buff as Jimmy, but his love is jazz. He doesn't much care for the pop/rock the group (newly dubbed the Oneders, hopefully pronounced Wonders) but he enjoys their taste of success and playing for the enthusiastic crowds that grow larger as the film progresses. Guy's not the leader or control freak that Jimmy is; he emerges though as the heart of the band and is, ironically, the last one left standing at the end of it all. Also along for the ride is Faye (Liv Tyler), Jimmy's girlfriend and the Oneders' number one fan. In an early role, Charlize Theron plays Tina, Guy's girlfriend (if only briefly). If only her part was as memorable as her looks. The band makes a record of Jimmy's song 'That Thing You Do!', and after it gets some radio play in their hometown, they are noticed by Mr. White (Tom Hanks), an exec at Playtone Records who becomes their manager. One of his first decisions is to change the name of the band to the Wonders. People kept calling them "the Oh-need-ers" and it was getting confusing. From there, the film takes us on a predictable but very enjoyable ride as the song climbs the charts and the Wonders grow in popularity, playing to larger and larger crowds, finally culminating in them appearing on a big network variety show. The song, by the way, is a great little tune, very Beatle-ish, and almost criminally catchy. I don't know how many times it's played in the film, in part or in whole (I would guess about a dozen) and it changes subtly over the course of the movie, bits added for extended versions... in any event, it will be buzzing around in your head for at least a week or so after seeing the film. In what has in reality been the case more times than most people realize, the Wonders break up just as 'That Thing You Do!' peaks at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100. Jimmy quits in a fit of pique, his artistic vanity wounded when White tells him he only gets to write two songs per album. Lenny marries a blonde secretary in Las Vegas. The bass player joins the Marines. That leaves Guy to face Mr. White alone, who tells him the Wonders are in breach of contract, but it's no big deal. Happens all the time, White says... to one-hit wonders.