“That Thing You Do!” (1996)

That Thing You Do!

Grade: C+

A harmless satire of the music business, or a shameless sell-out? The line dividing social commentary and soulless commerce is hard to discern in That Thing You Do! Even though Tom Hanks’ directorial debut is well-made and spawned an actual Billboard hit, I found the film’s hokeyness to be overbearing.

Directing:

Hanks has done his homework — That Thing You Do! is evocative of Anytown, USA (more specifically: Erie, PA) circa 1964. From the fashion to the cars to the soundtrack, the period details are authentic. Similarly, Hanks echoes the style of George Lucas’ American Graffiti, William Asher’s Beach Party and the tidiness of Penny Marshall to recreate the teenage rock ‘n’ roll culture of the day.

As technically accomplished as the film is, however, the clean-cut cheesiness becomes grating. This is America seen through Hanks-colored glasses, relying on sentimentalism and nostalgia for a time and place that only existed in a Hollywood vision. Case in point: American Graffiti came out in 1973.

Acting:

Was everyone a cornball back in 1964? Apparently, yes. Lead actor Tom Everett Scott is a young Hanks lookalike, who makes weird faces and does terrible impressions of Spartacus every five minutes. The rest of the band — the Oneders (pronounced “Wonders) — is rounded out by equally annoying caricatures with punchable faces. And, of course, Hanks himself plays the slick record executive who corrupts the group. In any other movie he’d be the villain, but in Hanks’ directorial debut he’s the voice of reason. The dichotomy is confusing.

Whatever you may think about the cast’s acting ability, their musicality cannot be denied. The Oneders perform their own song (just one) and play their own instruments, which is a real rarity in music dramas. It’s nice to see that the music isn’t just dubbed over.

Writing:

Here’s my main issue with That Thing You Do: I can’t tell if it’s meant to be satirical or if it’s meant to be played straight. There are the obvious ironies, like the band being called the one-hit “Oneders” and the bass player being named “T.B. Player.” But those are really the only self-aware jokes in the entire film. Because That Thing You Do never establishes a sense of cognizance, or an underlying cynicism, we’re forced to take everything at face value — including all the cheesy anecdotes, lame wisecracks and contrived romances. In the end, That Thing You Do ends up glorifying what it should be criticizing.

Music:

“That Thing You Do,” written by Adam Schlesinger, isn’t necessarily a great song, but it is catchy. More importantly, it sounds like a one-hit wonder from the ‘60s. The film plays it on repeat for the entire duration, which is a nice touch of sarcasm showing how easy it is to get sick of the latest chart-topper. Then again, no one in the film seems to get sick of it, making for another “is this satire or is this serious?” uncertainty.

Ending (SPOILERS):

The film ends with the band breaking up (gosh darn) and the guy getting the girl (gee wiz!). A hotel doorman looks directly at the camera and winks. It’s the most mawkish moment in the entire film. But that’s not all: an epilogue details that all the band members went on to lead happy lives, with some of them even becoming successful in the music business. Which proves That Thing You Do! isn’t meant to be a realistic satire at all — it’s just a banal fantasy of a bygone era that never existed.

“When is the last time you were decently kissed?” — Guy Patterson

Why That Thing You Do! gets a C+

“That Thing You Do!” the song is a catchy piece of Beatles-inspired power pop, hence the “plus.” That Thing You Do! the film is an overly sentimental exercise in nostalgia, hence the “C.” I’m not really a big fan of Tom Hanks, so I’m obviously biased, but this is the most Tom Hanks movie that ever Tom Hanks’d — the safest, most inoffensive, milquetoast music dramedy of all time.

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