Review of That Thing You Do! (1996) by Andrew M — 20 Feb 2012

Simply put, I struggle to see how anyone could dislike this movie. It is one of the peppiest, most endearing films I've ever watched. Perhaps the detractors are looking for some kind of deeper meaning but, forgive the play on words, that's not the thing this movie does. It is a simple tale of a simpler time. It shows how musicians could be made famous before the days of reality TV and computer-enhanced vocals. Tom Hanks creates this fantasy record label and a collection of imaginary artists but they all feel so closely connected to our real past, so the movie takes you back to that past in a very pleasant way.

Most screen writers would anxiously grab hold of a number of the plot points in this movie and use them as an inroad for some type of tragic event. The manager in the camper would be a scam artist stealing their money, or the TV show would bump them for time. Yet this movie somehow manages to have everything go right for the characters, and yet it's still engaging. Even when the band begins to fall apart at the seams it appears that all the characters leave with what they really wanted in the first place.

All this is just a sideshow to the real tale this movie tells. It is a love story. Perhaps it is one of the more subtle love stories, but when viewed more than once (knowing the ending) every moment between these characters has a deeper meaning. Amazingly you can pick up most of that meaning by simply looking at the expression on the actors' faces (which shows how great they did at casting. ) Summing all this up, I can't say exactly what aspects of this movie make it one of my favorites. It could be the music, the comedy, or even the love story, but this is one of the few movies I could watch twice in a row and enjoy it just as much both times. When the movie ends it would take a scouring brush to wipe the smile off my face.