In short, this is a lightweight but utterly loveable affair which proves Hanks is as assured behind the camera as in front of it.
Comment
01/01/00
That Thing You Do! (1996)
91
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:47
Fresh:43
Rotten:4
Average Rating:7/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 35 mins
Genre: Comedies
Synopsis: Set in the 1964 and steeped in Americana, this film chronicles the meteoric rise -- and equally quick demise -- of a music group called The Wonders. The talented musicians start out playing in... [More]
Starring: Tom Everett Scott, Liv Tyler, Steve Zahn, Ethan Embry
Director: Tom Hanks
Reviews for That Thing You Do!
Top CriticWhereas Dances With Wolves was an epic cultural tract, That Thing You Do! is a piece of entertaining bubblegum which, like its director, making his feature directorial debut, is high on charm and style.
05/10/09
Top CriticSweet nothing, then, but what would you expect of a rock movie devoted to the drummer?
06/24/06
Top CriticClick to read the article
01/01/00
Top Critic...is a pleasant film perfect for a brain-dead matinee.
01/01/00
It's concerned with a very general notion of the corrupting nature of stardom, and it doesn't push any of its ideas far enough to invite its audience to invest in the issues it raises.
01/01/00
passable entertainment, but still trite and superficial
02/27/01
...a movie that, like many a pop tune, has a cute idea but a simpleminded lyric.
01/01/00
Top CriticIn this story about the rise and fall of a pre-Beatles rock band--written by, directed by and starring Hanks--his true colors shine.
01/01/00
Top CriticA barely there-tale of rock 'n' roll dreams, driven by the infectious title tune.
12/17/07
Top CriticThe good old days look good indeed in this movie.
01/01/00
Rock on, Hanks.
01/01/00
First-time writer/director Tom Hanks stays about a half-beat ahead of the cliches with rim shots of boyish enthusiasm and deft comedy. The movie’s also buoyed by the title song, whose Beatles sound is infectious enough to merit a real hit.
12/17/07
Hanks sacrificed character complexity, but at least some period details are right.
10/29/03
A sweet, likeable tale of the quick rise to fame and then demise of a small town band. Set in 1964, Hanks' film offers a sanitized, Gump-ish look at a mythical period when boys were boys and girls were girls, with no references to the sex-drug subculture
01/03/07
Top CriticIn his first effort at directing a feature film, Hanks chooses his material wisely and writes it with witty, beguiling charm.
01/01/00
That Thing You Do! is a credible first effort.
01/01/00
Tom Hanks' writing-directing debut is a sweet valentine to rock 'n' roll.
11/07/02
Hanks or no Hanks this gem of a movie is definitely worth the time.
02/14/01
Latest News for That Thing You Do!
November 09, 2005:
Romero to Bring Another King Story to the Big Screen
Variety reports that genre legend George Romero will direct "From a Buick 8," which will be an adaptation of the Stephen King novel of the same name. The horror master... More...
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