That Thing You Do!

''That Thing You Do!'' is a 1996 American musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Tom Hanks, in his feature writing and directorial debut. Set in 1960s rock and roll culture, it chronicles the rise and fall of a fictional one-hit wonder pop band and stars Tom Everett Scott in his film debut along with Johnathon Schaech, Steve Zahn, and Ethan Embry as the band's members, with Liv Tyler and Hanks appearing in supporting roles. Its production and music are key to its narrative, with original scores by a collaboration of artists including Hanks, Adam Schlesinger, and Howard Shore. The soundtrack peaked at #21 on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart, featuring a mix of diegetic and non-diegetic tracks. The cast practiced for weeks to perform convincingly on camera, blurring the lines between reality and fiction.

Despite being well-received by critics, receiving several accolades, and producing a musical hit with the titular song of the same title, which was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, the film was a commercial disappointment, grossing $34.6 million against a $26 million budget.

''That Thing You Do!'' is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America.

Plot

In 1964, aspiring jazz drummer Guy Patterson is working in his family's appliance store in Erie, Pennsylvania, when his friends Jimmy Mattingly II and Lenny Haise ask him to perform a song Jimmy wrote at a talent show with their band, because their regular drummer, Chad, broke his arm. They rehearse the song, a slow-tempo ballad called " That Thing You Do!", in Jimmy's garage, and Jimmy's girlfriend Faye Dolan proposes "The Oneders" (as in "one-ders"), a play on the Beatles, as the band's name. At the talent show, the group performs the song at a faster tempo and wins the competition, earning a paying gig at Villapiano's, a local pizza parlor. After they decide to record the song and sell 45s of it, produced by Guy's Uncle Bob, local talent promoter Phil Horace notices the band, promising them radio airplay within 10 days. Lenny convinces the band to sign with him.

Phil keeps his promise, and the song gets regular play on Pennsylvania radio, becoming an instant local hit. He eventually books them for a showcase concert in Pittsburgh, where technical difficulties and the band's lack of stagecraft result in a disastrous performance. Afterward, Phil introduces a dispirited Guy to Mr. White, an A&R representative for Play-Tone Records, who offers the band a contract and becomes their manager. He renames the band "the Wonders" (as many people had mispronounced "Oneders" as "Oh-nee-ders"), advises them on style and presentation (including matching suits, with Guy sporting sunglasses as his trademark), and places them on the Play-Tone tour of Midwestern state fairs, with Faye handling their wardrobes.

During the tour, the Wonders meet other acts, learn about the business, and improve their performing skills. "That Thing You Do!" garners national radio airplay, raising the band's popularity and eventually reaching number 7 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100; Mr. White then sends them to Los Angeles for publicity, including radio and film appearances. On the day of their appearance on The Hollywood Television Showcase, a nationally televised live variety show, Mr. White replaces the absent bass guitarist, who has joined the Marine Corps, with experienced session bassist Scott Pell. Guy is hungover after meeting his idol, jazz pianist Del Paxton, while Jimmy is nervously vomiting and Lenny is preoccupied with his new girlfriend; still, the Wonders manage to successfully cooperate. When television captions display the individual members, Jimmy is visibly angered by the caption announcing his engagement.

After the performance, Jimmy criticizes Faye in the dressing room, insinuating that she disclosed the engagement (although White implies that it was him). Faye, already disillusioned with Jimmy's increasing preoccupation with the band, breaks up with him. Lenny, meanwhile, elopes with his girlfriend in Las Vegas. The next day, at a scheduled recording session at Play-Tone's studio, Mr. White has provided new material for Jimmy and Guy to record, but Jimmy, insistent on recording his original songs, immediately quits when he is reminded that per their contract, Play-Tone dictates their material; Mr. White reassures Guy that short-lived one-hit wonders are common in the music industry. When Del visits the recording studio, he is impressed by Guy's impromptu drumming and they improvise a jazz song entitled "I Am Spartacus" after Guy's catchphrase. Returning to the hotel to check out, Guy tells a dejected Faye that he plans to stay in Los Angeles, while she says she will return to Erie. He pursues her and they finally admit their long-hidden feelings for each other before sharing a kiss.

An epilogue reveals that Jimmy formed a new band known as the Heardsmen, which made three albums for Play-Tone, all of which were certified gold, before becoming a successful record producer in Los Angeles. Lenny, currently single, manages the Golden Eagle Hotel and Casino in Laughlin, Nevada. The bass guitarist (named "T.B. Player" in the credits) served 2 tours of duty in Vietnam with the Marines and earned a Purple Heart for wounds sustained at the Battle of Khe Sanh, then worked in construction in Orlando, Florida. Finally, Guy and Faye married on April 30, 1965, and raised four children in Venice, California, before moving to Bainbridge Island, Washington, and founding the Puget Sound Conservatory of Music, where Guy teaches jazz composition.

Cast

Production and music

The film features original music by Tom Hanks, Adam Schlesinger, Rick Elias, Scott Rogness, Mike Piccirillo, Gary Goetzman and Howard Shore. In the film, the Wonders rise to brief stardom on the strength of " That Thing You Do", a song written as a wistful ballad but which becomes an uptempo rocker during the band's first performance at a talent show. Written and composed for the film by Adam Schlesinger, bassist for Fountains of Wayne and Ivy and released on the film's soundtrack, the song became a genuine hit for the Wonders in 1996 (the song peaked at number 41 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number 22 on the Adult Contemporary charts, number 18 on the Adult Top 40, and number 24 on the Top 40 Mainstream charts). The track was nominated for a 1996 Golden Globe Award as well as a 1996 Academy Award for Best Original Song. Mike Viola of the Candy Butchers provided the lead vocals for the Wonders.

In the film, the title song is referenced with "All My Only Dreams" as the B-side. The actual 45 rpm single, released to record stores in North America, features "Dance with Me Tonight" as its B-side. The song has since been recorded by the Knack, Billie Joe Armstrong, and Bubblegum Lemonade. The Wonders are also seen playing the song "Little Wild One". This was written by the band Gigolo Aunts as a "faux-Beatles"-style tune at the request of their record label to be submitted for consideration for inclusion in the film.

To perform the Wonders' songs convincingly on-camera, Scott, Schaech, Zahn and Embry took several weeks of individual lessons, followed by daily practice as a group. Of the four, only Zahn and Embry had any prior experience of playing their assigned instruments. They eventually honed their performance to the point where extras on the set thought they were actually playing the songs, when in reality they were miming along to recordings by professional musicians.

The song that plays during the film's opening credits, "Lovin' You Lots and Lots", is credited to the fictitious Norm Wooster Singers and was actually written by Hanks. This song is a send-up of Ray Conniff, Mitch Miller, and other practitioners of the "beautiful music" or proto-Muzak formats that were a staple of adult radio during the early 1960s such as on KPOL (AM) 1540 in Los Angeles. Hanks also composed Guy's jazzy signature drum solo, "I Am Spartacus".

The Wonders' bassist (played by Ethan Embry) is unnamed in the film; in the end credits, he is credited as "T.B. Player". This is short for "the Bass Player", and is a joke based on the perception that bass players are often unknown and unappreciated. Embry later provided his own take on the character's real name: "I just said my name was Tobias, because he's ''such'' a Tobias. You just take the vowels out nd it's T.B.His nickname was Toby, but his mom calls him Tobias. And his last name actually was Player, because he was a player, dude! That carousel ride with the Chantrellines? Total player."

The band at the Blue Spot were portrayed by jazz musicians Alphonse Mouzon, James Leary and Barth Beasley.

The real Wonders

There were at least two real groups named the Wonders who made the record charts at various radio stations in the early 1960s. One was a soul group who had a record called "Please Don't Cry" (b/w " With These Hands"; Bamboo 523) that was cited in the September 1, 1962, issue of ''Billboard'' as having "moderate sales potential", but it was not successful. (The flip, however, was played by KCRG in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in the fall of 1962.)

The other Wonders had a regional hit record called "Say There" (b/w "Marilyn"; Colpix 699), released in August 1963. A mixed race doo wop group from New York City, they also recorded as the . "Say There" hit the Top 20 at WCOL in Columbus, Ohio, and made the top 30 at KQV in Pittsburgh. In addition, the tune made the radio publication ''The Gavin Report'' as a regional hit in their August 16, 1963, issue.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack album (released under the Playtone name in conjunction with Epic Records) was also a hit, peaking at #21 on the ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart. The CD artwork is a replica of the fictional Playtone label used in the movie, and the liner notes are done in a mockumentary style, as if the Wonders had been a real group and the events of the film had actually happened. Hanks later used the success of ''That Thing You Do!'' as a springboard to launch the actual Playtone Records label, through which the soundtracks of all his subsequent films, as well as other films such as '' Bring It On'' and television programs such as ''The Sopranos'', were released as albums.

Reception

Box office

The film grossed $25.9 million domestically and $8.7 million internationally for a total worldwide gross of $34.6 million.
The film debuted at No. 3.

Critical response

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 94% based on reviews from 62 critics, with an average rating of 7.30/10. The site's consensus reads, "A light, sweet, and thoroughly entertaining debut for director Tom Hanks, ''That Thing You Do!'' makes up in charm what it lacks in complexity". On Metacritic, the film has a score of 71 out of 100 based on reviews from 22 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

Emanuel Levy of '' Variety'' called it "A top-notch production, exuberant period music and Hanks the actor in an important role cunningly disguised a rather slight and inconsequential narrative."
Roger Ebert of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' gave it 3 out of 4 and wrote: "The movie may be inconsequential, but in some ways that's a strength. Without hauling in a lot of deep meanings, it remembers with great warmth a time and a place."

Accolades

Reunion

The Erie SeaWolves hosted Wonders Night on September 4, 2021, at UPMC Park. Cast members Johnathon Schaech, Tom Everett Scott, and Steve Zahn traveled to Erie for the occasion and participated in a panel discussion, autograph session, and elements of the ballgame presentation. Cast member Ethan Embry joined the panel discussion virtually. As a result of funds collected from VIP experiences as well as memorabilia and jersey auctions, the 25th anniversary event raised $25,500 for Notice Ability, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping students with dyslexia. Additional donations were made to Notice Ability, bringing the total sum raised to nearly a quarter of a million dollars. Wonders Night also earned the SeaWolves Promotion of the Year recognition by ''Ballpark Digest''.

Home media

Initial release

''That Thing You Do!'' was first released in mid-1997 on VHS and Laserdisc. In 1998, the film became available in the DIVX format (as with all 20th Century Fox films), rather than DVD.

First DVD

After DIVX failed, the film was released on DVD on June 5, 2001. It included the featurette "The Making of ''That Thing You Do!''", and two music videos.

Extended Edition DVD

On May 8, 2007, ''Tom Hanks' Extended Edition'' was released on DVD. The film's theatrical cut and an extended cut with 39 additional minutes of deleted scenes are included.

Many of the deleted scenes are devoted to character development. A tastefully steamy look at Guy's "make-out" session with Tina at his apartment is included. The extended version also goes more in-depth with Guy's developing relationship with Faye (via mild flirting) and his deteriorating relationship with Tina, as well as Tina's budding relationship with her dentist, Dr. Collins. It also suggests that the character portrayed by Tom Hanks (Mr. White) is not only gay but in a relationship with a man played by former NFL defensive lineman Howie Long.

More camera time is also devoted to the tryst between the bass player and one of the singers of the Chantrellines. In the theatrical cut, this romance was depicted mainly as an unrequited crush on the part of the bass player; in the extended cut it is clearly shown that his efforts were successful.

At the end of the Extended Edition, rather than becoming a studio drummer on the recommendation of Del Paxton, Guy becomes a disc jockey for the jazz station KJZZ and records a documentary series of interviews with legendary jazz musicians.

2007 DVD repackage re-release

''That Thing You Do!'' was packaged with ''Bachelor Party'' and '' The Man with One Red Shoe'' in the ''Tom Hanks Triple Feature'' DVD anthology set. The actual DVD appears to be the original 2001 disc, with the featurette and music videos.

Blu-ray release

20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released the film on Blu-ray on April 2, 2013. The Blu-ray includes the Theatrical and Extended cuts as well as all of the bonus features found on the two-disc DVD.

See also

* Playtone

References

Further reading

*

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:That Thing You Do!
1996 films
1996 directorial debut films
1996 romantic comedy-drama films
1990s American films
1990s coming-of-age comedy-drama films
1990s English-language films
1990s musical comedy-drama films
1990s romantic musical films
20th Century Fox films
American coming-of-age comedy-drama films
American musical comedy-drama films
American rock music films
American romantic comedy-drama films
American romantic musical films
The Beatles in film
Films about musical groups
Films about percussion and percussionists
Films directed by Tom Hanks
Films produced by Gary Goetzman
Films scored by Howard Shore
Films set in 1964
Films set in Pennsylvania
Films shot in Erie, Pennsylvania
Films with screenplays by Tom Hanks
Playtone films
English-language romantic comedy-drama films
English-language musical comedy-drama films
English-language romantic musical films
1996 musical films