![]() After a publicity tour, the band is set to appear on The Hollywood Television Showcase, a nationally-televised live variety show. ![]() Jimmy is seemingly uninterested in her well-being, being preoccupied with trying to convince White to let the band record more of his original songs. When the song enters the top ten on the Billboard charts, the band is taken off the tour and sent to Los Angeles.įaye falls ill on the trip and is nursed by Guy. All the while, Guy and Faye grow closer as friends. As the band's popularity soars, Jimmy grows frustrated that the group is not focused on creating more music, while the remainder of the band enjoys their time in the spotlight. During the tour, "That Thing You Do" garners national radio airplay and becomes a bona-fide hit. White changes the band's name to "The Wonders" as they join a Midwestern Play-Tone tour, taking along Jimmy's girlfriend, Faye ( Liv Tyler) as their official "costume mistress". Horace achieves radio airplay for the song and books the band at a rock & roll showcase concert in Pittsburgh, after which they are offered a contract by Play-Tone Records A&R representative Mr. The Oneders' performance at the talent show earns them a paying gig at a local restaurant, where they begin to sell recordings of "That Thing You Do" and are noticed by talent promoter Phil Horace ( Chris Ellis), whom they hire as their manager. At the talent show, Guy launches into a faster tempo than intended for Jimmy's ballad, " That Thing You Do", and the band wins the competition. The band, which also includes a bass player ( Ethan Embry), adopts the name "The Oneders" (pronounced "wonders", but often mispronounced "oh-NEE-ders"). Appropriate for ages 10 and up.In 1964, in Erie, Pennsylvania, aspiring jazz drummer Guy Patterson ( Tom Everett Scott) is asked by Jimmy Mattingly ( Johnathon Schaech) and Lenny Haise ( Steve Zahn) to sit in with their band at an annual talent show, after their regular drummer breaks his arm trying to jump over a parking meter. Drinking is consumed by the band leading to a hangover for one of them. But the provocative clothing line is actually pushed by Rita Wilson who plays a waitress in a bar and just barely gets her chest into her dress revealing oodles of cleavage. The band members are on set of a movie which involves a beach scene so girls and guys a plenty are in bikinis and swimwear. A steamier kissing is filtered but a couple of kisses will still be seen but no need to worry they don’t go too far. I would recommend watching with filters set to “Most Filtering” instead because of the language and blasphemy that remained. Motherly Advice: With a PG rating I chose to watch with my filters set to Medium. That Thing You Do! meets that requirement by just being something nice to watch! ![]() ![]() Sometimes I am just looking for a movie that isn’t too deep, isn’t going to make me cry or lose my mind trying to follow the plot kind of movie. The cast is quite good but I do have a standout favorite in Steve Zahn who is a band member in the Wonders and is just a happy go lucky jokester who adds much needed comic relief. Tom Hanks is a favorite actor of mine and as usual his charisma and screen presence was great. I enjoyed the 60's setting and the music was fun but it’s not one I will watch over and over again. Try to stay with me on this but do you know when you have dinner some nights and it is really satisfying and worth making and then other nights it is just dinner, not great but not bad either? That was my take away with this movie. The Wonders (the changed name) take their breakout single to their newly found fans, but can the band keep it together long enough to not become the “One hit Wonders”? Guy changes the tempo to one of their songs, making it more upbeat and sending the Oneders (sometimes pronounced as O’neders) on the whirlwind adventure of instant notoriety. That Thing You Do! tells the story of an aspiring group of musicians from 1964 Erie, Pennsylvania that are looking to make an impact on the local music scene, much the same way the four lads from Liverpool were doing when fate intervenes in the way of the drummer breaking his arm forcing the band to recruit local drummer Guy Patterson (Tom Everett Scott) to fill in. Did you know that this was Tom Hanks’ directorial debut?
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