That Thing You Do!

Directed by Tom Hanks, That Thing You Do! follows Tom Everett Scott’s Guy as he and his circa 1960s bandmates, including Johnathon Schaech’s James and Steve Zahn’s Lenny, as they experience the perks and perils of sudden fame after their band, The Oneders, releases an instantly-successful pop song. First-time filmmaker Hanks, working from his own screenplay, delivers a persistently entertaining endeavor that’s been suffused with a whole host of appealing, captivating elements, such as its raft of impressively convincing (and legitimately good) songs, including the completely catchy title track, although it remains clear throughout that the picture’s most potent weapon is its assortment of often unreasonably charismatic performances – with Scott’s magnetic, star-making work here matched by a uniformly agreeable supporting cast that boasts, among others, Charlize Theron, Ethan Embry, Liv Tyler, and Hanks himself. There’s little doubt, as well, that That Thing You Do! benefits substantially from its smattering of irresistibly engaging and captivating sequences, from the band’s initial performance of their sole hit to their ebullience at hearing it on the radio for the first time, with the easygoing atmosphere ultimately compensating for a narrative that tends to unfold exactly as one might’ve anticipated – and yet the movie, which closes on a thoroughly satisfying note, predominantly comes off as a compelling and flat-out fun trip through the musical landscape of the ’60s.

*** out of ****