FILMS… That Thing You Do! (1996)

#1990s #AllPosts

 

Tune in to the one hit wonder for the Oneders, in this surprising unsung box office biopic…

 

Tom Hanks and his clan star in this fictional music movie telling of a 1960s boy band after a Guy joins the group.

 

That Thing You Do! (1996) Trailer 2, JohnathonSchaech and photos © 20th century fox

 

In the mood for a 1960s music themed movie plot that is enthusiastically written? A film that takes you on a nostalgic trip to the 1960s? An in-movie biography that isn’t based on a true story and therefore doesn’t take any liberties with the truth as many biopics do? Or just an immersive movie that is energetically performed by everyone in the cast?

Look no further than That Thing You Do! (1996), an infectiously feel good 100% fictional – yet 100% historically culturally apt – movie about The Oneders. The Oneders is a 1960s boy band who from their humble beginnings, had a one hit wonder and their five minutes of fame are immortalised in this contagious screenplay. That Thing You Do! is both the title of the film and this 1960s boy band’s one and only track before they weren’t heard of anymore as the band broke up, and went in different directions (as told in a cool prologue).

This film introduced us to a few unsung off-screen and acting firsts as That Thing You Do!  becomes even more of an intriguing must watch movie in a really good way. This is when you learn of the behind the scenes true story.  I was surprised to learn – as you will too – that the Oscar winning Tom Hanks who stars in this film also wrote the screenplay, directed the film and even had time to write a couple of musical tracks as found in this film’s soundtrack.

Tom’s song is heard in the opening credits and named Lovin’ You Lots and Lots. This song was sung by an invented band  – purely for this movie soundtrack – named The Norm Wooster Singers. The Norm Wooster Singers pseudonym reminded me immediately of Bloomfield (1971), another film with a fictional band singing the opening track. Tom also composed a later track heard on the drums. This is heard much later in this movie, and named I Am Spartacus. This song title makes sense as the plot is told.

Additionally in this dream project for Tom Hanks, this film also stars – in no particular order – Tom’s wife, Rita Wilson along with his daughter, Elizabeth and his now actor son, Colin in his first role. Interestingly – in the case of non-neo-baby-nepotism – both Colin and Elizabeth have really small blink and miss them roles in this film.

The unknown Tom Everett Scott was chosen as the leading man. This casting choice was apparently advocated by Rita Wilson who according to IMDb HERE thought he was “cute”. This source also adds that Tom was initially against the casting as he believed Scott to be too much like his younger self. Throughout the film, you can kind of see these physical and acting similarities in Scott’s looks and performance respectively. This is especially if you remember Tom Hanks in his earlier roles such as in Bachelor Party (1984), Big (1988) and Splash! (1984).

The film is set in 1964 and in Erie, Pennsylvania. In the welcoming scenes in the opening credits, you soak up this mid-1960s ambience in the recreated sets and props reminiscent of this time. This era in music is described by Roger Ebert, HERE.

In the annals of pop music, 1964 was a fairly innocent time. Bands broke up because of girlfriend problems, not drugs and murders.

The cool acting and film credits are enclosed in some cool 1960s colours and you feel like you are back to the 1960s, as remembered fondly in Once Upon A Time in Hollywood (2019).

Our protagonist, the gawkily gangly Guy “Skitch” Patterson (Tom Everett Scott) works in the family run business selling household appliances to all sundry. You can tell his heart isn’t in this job, and it’s definitely not his forte. After closing time, he leaves work leaving the shop front’s neon lights on.

He then meets his girlfriend, Tina (Charlize Theron), on the way to switch off the shop’s lights after a call from his annoyed father. Guy is dating Tina (Charlize Theron), a pretty blonde who gets excited by the way Guy says “I am Spartacus”. Their relationship is seen as they watch this Kirk Douglas movie together while making out on the sofa. But she’s much more innocent in her romantic intentions than compared to Jamie Lee Curtis in A Fish Called Wanda (1988).

You can tell from Guy’s apartment that he’s music mad with bookcases crammed with LPs. He meets his friends who play in a band together. Then fate intervenes with a chance accident incapacitating their drummer, Chad (Giovanni Ribsi). This is after Chad attempts to leapfrog over a parking meter and this act is heard to backfire, with a loud thud as Chad breaks his arm leaving it in plaster.

This accident was possibly a nod to the documentary satire This Is Spinal Tap (1984) where Spinal Tap, a band lists all those drummers who passed away in freak accidents. So Guy is asked to join their band in time for a talent show.

In no particular order, these friends are…

• Lenny Haise (Steve Zahn) is the comedian of the group. He always has an eye for the girls, but is a bit hopeless when it comes to getting anywhere with them romantically.
• Jimmy Mattingly (Johnathon Schaech), is the handsome (for some, including him) lead singer who is dating the pretty Faye. He is much more serious than the others about everything from naming the band to developing his career in music than his girl.
• T. B. Player (Ethan Embry), the baby faced member of the group. T.B. is also keen to join the Marines. His full name is not mentioned in the movie and T.B. reportedly stands for The Bass (Player). Embry believes his character is named Tobias.
• Unofficially in the group  – and yet valued in different ways by Jimmy and Guy – is Faye Dolan (Liv Tyler). She’s Jonathan’s girlfriend of 2½ years. She supports the band admirably and unconditionally, has a lovely friendship and rapport with Guy and has zero chemistry with Jimmy. Jimmy doesn’t appear to appreciate her, yet Guy does and he often reassures Faye of her importance in the band.

The film follows Guy’s membership in this band from the day he joins, as he helps indirectly choose the band name, The Oneders. This name was chosen by Faye, and gleaned from Guy’s random comment. This band name leads to a running gag for much of the movie, regarding the pronunciation of the band’s name from the correct way, One-ders to the incorrect versions of On-E-Ders to On-Eh-Ders. Guy also literally jazzes up Jimmy’s titular song from the initial ballad. This results in the one hit wonder and now is much more of an earworm, thanks to Guy’s fast and energetically played drumming.

We follow this group to stardom as we watch talent shows, meet heckling fans, join their gigs, trust their first manager, see them make a record and then in time rejoice as their song is heard on the radio for the first time. After the band then signs up to Playtone Records – and management from Mr White (Tom Hanks) – we celebrate their first record with a label, their tour, and their film musical roles – in a wonderful homage to those Beach Party movies – and this followed by the first live TV appearance and then…

This story is wonderfully directed by Hanks. Scenes are for the most part strongly and infectiously happy as we see this band on the up as you share their triumphs. A scene after Faye hears their song on the radio for the first time, has you bursting with pride for this band as she rushes to tell the other band members. This continuous shot has her bump into T.B., join him in a joint squeal and then the pair continue running to meet and tell the others this great news.

You feel the bands’ excitement and enthusiasm as they are seen singing That Thing You Do in progressively more prolific settings. These are from a garage to a talent show then a restaurant (next to an airport with aeroplane sound effects to remind you of this fact) and when they make it big… on tour, in a state fair and then on live TV.

Hanks’s screenplay not only focuses on those band members and Faye, as it seems every character in this film is given their place in the sun. In a running gag, Tina is distracted as she falls for her new hunky dentist. Hanks’ direction focuses on this chiselled man’s arms, we see him from Tina’s point of view as a 1960s dreamboat and as she begins to focus her romantic attention on him rather than Guy.

The physical ambience of this film is accompanied by wonderfully meticulously recreated 1960s looking streets and venues of all kinds on the Oneders’ musical journey. The always apt and creative wardrobe is wonderfully researched and even puts Down With Love (2003) in the shade. I loved Charlize Theron’s and Liv Tyler’s 1960s stylish wardrobe which complemented these characters and actresses brilliantly.

Like Bad Times at the El Royale (2018), this movie has a soundtrack that complements the time and place. The musical tracks are infectious, particularly the titular track which never gets old. After hearing it many times – in many different venues in the film – I never grew tired of listening to it. I’d normally add a copy of the lyrics, but I feel a video is necessary to show these lads and their boy band at their heartwarming best.

 

1996 That Thing You Do! Official Trailer 1 20th Century Fox, Klokline Cinema

 

Each of those five (as I include Faye here) band members gets their own story arc, and these are separate from the band story making rounded credible characters. Some of these storylines were credibly pinched from the biographies of some famous musical acts. I won’t discuss these plotlines too much for fear of spoiling this film.

In these storylines, you will spot the Hanks family en masse. The most memorable role for the Hanks family – that wasn’t Tom as director – was for Rita Wilson. Mrs Hanks shines and glows as Marguerite, a cocktail bar manager and waitress at a jazz club. Look out for her scenes with Guy which cumulate with Rita in a scene with her off-screen husband, Tom. As Tom’s character winks at her in this scene you can feel their on-screen chemistry (and real love off-screen). But keep your eyes peeled for the rest of the clan, and look out for Elizabeth and Colin Hanks following in their father’s footsteps in that thing he do.

 

Weeper Rating:  😦😦 😦   😦😦 😦  😦😦 😦 /10 (not necessarily in a sad way)

Handsqueeze Rating: 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂🙂 🙂 🙂  🙂 🙂 🙂 /10

Hulk Rating: ‎ ‎ ‎  /10

 

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Fourth Luso World Cinema Blogathon, No 10. 

This post was added to Cinema Retro and Spellbound with Beth Ann‘s Fourth Luso World Cinema Blogathon. Other reviews with this cast include,

• Kevin Pollak in Special Correspondents, War Dogs and  Willow.
• Peter Scolari in Mike Hammer, Diagnosis Murder, Family Ties and more.
• Tom Everett Scott in La La Land.
• Ethan Embry in Murder She Wrote.
• Tom Hanks in You’ve Got Mail, Big,  Sleepless in Seattle and more.
• Charlize Theron in The Fate of the Furious, The Devil’s Advocate and more.
• Giovanni Ribisi in Ted, Lost in Translation and more.
• Chris Ellis in The X-Files and Mad Men.
• Colin Hanks in Mad Men and The Offer.
• Rita Wilson in Moonlighting, MASH, Sleepless in Seattle and more.
• Marc McClure in Freaky Friday.

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