Hanks pulls out all the stops!

Rating: 10/10 (18 January 2000)

Tom Hanks pulled out all the creative stops to put his picture "That Thing You Do" together, and it shows--magnificently. Audiences could confuse a movie with lightness of tone as unsubstantial, but serious subjects and heavyhandedness are not prerequisites for greatness. It's quite possible for a movie to be light and airy, or frivolous and charming, and still make a grand impression. I won't stretch my point by saying "That Thing You Do" is a great movie, but it's the kind of work that pools all the pleasures of moviegoing: laughs, music, dreams of material success, passion, romance--and serves them up in generous measure.
And finally, a role that allows Hanks to reveal the sharper, more creative, less lovable side of himself, that is to say, an adult--with ambition and focus and drive, a distant cousin of Tony Curtis' Sidney Falco. Hanks takes on twin roles: publicity agent grooming a talented fledgling rock'n'roll band for stardom; and writer/director behind the camera orchestrating all the myriad ingredients that make this movie a rousing success. He shows a sophisticated way with a wisecrack, and an equally mature facility for storytelling.
And hats off to Hanks for the cast he assembles! As Lenny Haise, the lead guitarist of the band, Steve Zahn could not have not have made me laugh any harder. Mr. White may think him a fool, but Zahn's Lenny takes his place among the best of fools; Shakespeare's Falstaff or Mozart's Papageno have nothing on him. He's the restless mover of the narrative. Without Lenny's impulsiveness, the band would not have made the leaps and bounds it did in so short a time, and every quick step of the way Zahn makes of it heady fun.
The tomfoolery doesn't stop with Lenny. Tom Everett Scott in the lead is forced into a kind of princely strait-jacket, but the actors on the sidelines like Holmes Osborne and Claudia Stedelin as Scott's parents; Kevin Pollak as Boss Vic Kosslovich, a two-bit impresario from Pittsburgh; and Alex Rocco as the blissfully crass Sol Siler leave us smiling long after the story has left them behind. (When Rocco spits out something like "And will someone get Fabian away from me?," I almost fell off the couch, doubled over with laughter.)
Sort through this movie, and you'll find a gift at every turn. It chimes in a variety of music styles, the best pop offerings coming from Adam Schlesinger (who wrote the title song), Scott Rogness, and Rick Elias with a good deal of the filler music being Hanks' collaborations. It showcases some dazzling musical numbers--"Dance With Me Tonight" is the centerpiece. It sends us visions of Liv Tyler, Charlize Theron, Rita Wilson, and Kennya J. Ramsey to mull over. And it conjures up a time when America was still at peace with itself. Need we ask for anything more?