A Must Rent

Rating: 8/10 (26 March 1999)

Tom Hanks scores an impressive win with this touching tale of five would-be band members accidently hitting it big in the early 60's.
The film stars Tom Everett Scott as Guy Patterson, a employee at his father's appliance store who just happens to spend his free time playing the drums. His skills are called upon when a small band in his hometown of Erie, PA loses their drummer (Giovanni Ribisi) to a broken arm. There's Jimmy (Jonathon Schaech), the narcissistic lead singer, Lenny (Steve Zahn), the goofy lead guitarist, and T.B. (Ethan Embry), the naive bass player. Accompanied by Fay (Liv Tyler) and their manager Mr. White (Hanks), the five members tour all across the country promoting their hit song "That Thing You Do".
The film is a cute and light look at the early 60's music scene, which saw the rise and fall of many young, one-hit wonder, bands. If you want to spend two enjoyable hours of fun, you can't go wrong with "That Thing You Do". And if you grew up in that era, the feeling of nostalgia adds an extra level of enjoyment.
All in all, with its excellent cast, script, music, and production design, "That Thing You Do" should be high on your list of rentals.