| | | A comedy written and directed by Tom Hanks.
Features: DVD
Tom Hanks writes, directs and co-stars in this refreshing, big-hearted comedy that captures the overnight triumph of an American rock band during the glory days of rock and roll. When a young appliance salesman agrees to fill-in for an injured drummer in a local talent show, four shooting stars are born. Faster than you can say "That Thing You Do," a Play-Tone Records executive (Hanks) signs the group and catapults them to fame as their signature tune skyrockets to the top of the charts!
"Sunny attitude and appealing cast..." Leonard Maltin
"Undeniably fun." Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times
Editor's Note
A cautionary pop fable following the meteoritic rise of "The Wonders," a fictitious foursome during the early days of pop-rock fandom. When jazz drummer Guy Patterson fills in for a session with a friend's band, a hit single is born and the smalltown boys find themselves riding a rollercoaster of success, guided by the opportunistic hand of a smooth-talking record label agent. Fun, cheerful, and innocent. Hanks' directorial debut. Academy Award Nominations: Best Original Song ("That Thing You Do").
Plot Summary
Set in the 1964 and steeped in Americana, this film chronicles the meteoric rise -- and equally quick demise -- of a music group called The Wonders. The talented musicians start out playing in neighborhood joints. That changes after they meet a shrewd record executive, who advises the boys on how to dress, act and sing. Soon their song, "That Thing You Do," hits #1, and the group is on top of the world. Unfortunately, the song is The Wonders's only hit. And that's just one reason why the group's collapse happens so quickly...|
| Features | Interactive Menus | | Scene Access | | French Dolby Surround | | English Subtitles | | Spanish Subtitles | | TV Spots | | 2 Music Video Featurettes | | English 5.0 Surround & Dolby Surround | | Anamorphic Widescreen Version | | Original Theatrical Trailer | | Italian And Spanish Trailers |
| Technical Info
|
Release Information
| | Studio: Foxvideo |
| Release Date: 6/7/2005 |
| Running Time: 108 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 1996 | | Catalog ID: 2001641 | | UPC: 00024543016410 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English [CC], English, French Dubbed | | Available Subtitles: English, Spanish | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | 1.85:1 |
| Cast & Crew
| Awards |
Oscar (1997) | | | Adam Schlesinger, Nominee, Best Music, Song "That Thing You Do" | |
Golden Globe (1997) | | | Adam Schlesinger, Nominee, Best Original Song - Motion Picture "That Thing You Do" | |
Casting Society Of America, USA (1997) |  | Howard Feuer, Winner, Best Casting For Feature Film, Comedy |
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| | Professional Reviews | Rolling Stone
"...A brightly entertaining blend of humor and heartbreak..." 10/17/1996 p.141-2Entertainment Weekly
"...Lovingly crafted....Sly irony..." -- Rating: A- 11/01/1996 p.49 Variety
"...An immensely likable, sweet-natured tale....The quartet of band members is credibly and winsomely played with standout work from the handsome Scott..." 09/23/1996 Los Angeles Times
"...Tom Hanks understands likable....Everett Scott is appropriately handsome and charming....Hanks and company allow us to dream..." 10/04/1996 p.F1 Chicago Sun-Times
"...It remembers with great warmth a time and a place..." 10/04/1996 p.31 Ultimate DVD
4 stars out of 5 -- "A real feelgood movie..." 08/01/2007 p.111 San Francisco Chronicle 8 of 10
That Thing You Do! is about a band that goes from playing in a garage to playing on national television, all in the course of a few months in 1964. It's a pleasant little film with a big profile, thanks to Tom Hanks, who wrote and directed... The picture...is well-made and entertaining... But Hanks has a story to tell and things to say about fame in this tale of four fine rock-'n'-rollin' lads from middle America... The film captures the early-'60s milieu of rock 'n' roll road shows and screaming teeny-boppers. At one point, Hanks even employs a whimsical montage that's straight out of a '60s movie. The cars and the appliances all have that glossy, heavy, made-in-the-USA look. The music, all of it written for the film, sounds authentic. - Mick LaSalle
Leonard Maltin's Movie & Video Guide 8 of 10
Likable yarn, set in 1964, about some young people in Erie, Pa., who form a band that, improbably, soars to success with a hit record. Sunny attitude and appealing cast make this hard to resist, even if it turns out to be a "lite" version of The Committments. Hanks also wrote the script and some of the songs. Hanks' wife, Rita Wilson, has an amusing cameo as a cocktail waitress, and his long-ago Bosom Buddies TV costar Peter Scolari plays a television host. - Leonard Maltin
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| Customer Reviews | ![]() | | Cinematography |  4 | | Plot |  5 | | Acting | 5 | | Overall Satisfaction | 5 |
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5 of 5 The best movie I ever saw. Wednesday, May 11, 2005
darinlora from Oakley, CA.
I thought the whole movie was perfect. I wouldn't change a thing. I loved all the characters and they fit their roles perfectly as well. I very rarely watch a movie more than one time and I have watched this movie about 15 times and I am buying it as well. It has humor, romance, mystery and everything else you would ever look for in a movie, except nudity and violence. What a nice change. Was this review helpful?  
0 of 1 customers found this review helpful.
5 of 5 Garage band heaven Saturday, August 03, 2002
A Viewer from Maine. USA
Tom Hanks captures an innocent fragment in time during the early 60's; long before the anti-war movement, hippies, or psychedelia.
Transistor radios, gigantic console stereos, and one hit wonder garage bands really transport you back to a time most of us have forgotten. If you're not from this era, don't bother because you won't understand the loving nuances of detail in this special time capsule. It makes me wax nostaligic every time I see it. Also: great performance by Steve Zahn and hilarious cameo by Kevin Pollack. (And Tom Hanks still uses the 'Play-Tone' record label on his stationary!) Was this review helpful?
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