One-hit-wonders are an unusual thing. There are endless examples of artists that create something monumental that blasts its way into the pop culture zeitgeist and temporarily enchants and captures our attention. Then as quickly as they came, they seem to disappear. That is the idea behind 1996’s That Thing You Do! Written, directed by, and starring Tom Hanks as Mr. White- a big-time record producer who’s just discovered his next big talent- a small-town Pennsylvania rock n’ roll band with the potential to be the next big thing.
Now this movie was released in 1996 (as was a former entry into our own The Best Movie You Never Saw) and was Tom Hanks’ writing and directorial debut. Honestly, this is quite the freshman effort from the talented showman. The movie centers around The Wonders (formely the One-Ders), a local band that is struggling to find a good drummer before they go on stage at a local talent show. The band is made up of Johnathon Schaech as Jimmy, the egotistical frontman who wants to be the next Paul McCartney, Giovanni Ribisi as Chad, the untalented drummer, Tom Everett Scott as Guy, the much cooler and far more talented drummer, Steve Zahn as Lenny, the comic relief who shreds the guitar, and Ethan Embry as simply “The Bass Player” which is a genius way to have a tongue-in-cheek joke about the members of the band that are seen as important in an ensemble. Where are my bass players at? We salute you. We also have Liv Tyler as Fay; she’s Jimmy’s longtime girlfriend and number-one fan of the band. Not to mention supporting roles from iconic actors like Charlize Theron (who said she has a major crush on Hanks at the time), Bill Cobbs, Rita Wilson (of course), and Kevin Pollak!
When the One-ders hire Guy to play the drums for them at the talent show, they win and immediately begin taking their commitment to the band much more seriously. See, one of the things I truly love about this movie is that it takes the standard stories we see from biopics and lets us sit at the beginning of the journey a bit longer. The film takes time to develop each character and how each of them perceives the idea of success. We see Jimmy is the leader of the group, and he’s all business and no fun. He’s creative but not collaborative. He’s trying to be a sensitive artist, but he’s really just a self-obsessed asshole. His version of success is all material. He wants to be in a popular band that makes money and music and lives the high life above the townspeople he feels so superior to.
Guy is a jazz man. He works at his father’s appliance store and just wants to make great music with his friends and hopefully meet some of his idols along the way. Fay sees success as building something wonderful together with Jimmy and the band and simply enjoying their lives. None of these ideals are seemingly at odds with each other until the band starts seeing some success from their music. This movie is not like a biopic about a fictional band. If anything, it’s a slice of life from the perspective of one-hit-wonders and how the music industry can build you up as quickly as it can break you down.
When Mr. White, an executive from Playtone Records (which is a real record label owned by Hanks) discovers the band, they get taken on the ride of their lives as they tour the country, headline festivals and arenas, and even make it into the movies. I’m looking at you Cap’n Geitch and The Shrimp Shack Shooters.
The thing that really works for me with this movie is the pacing of it all. We watch this band grow from small town kids with a dream, to artists who are worshipped by fans and a totally warped sense of what of it means to be a artist in the modern music industry. Tom Hanks didn’t pull any punches in telling us the all-too-familiar truth behind the glamour of the entertainment industry. He shows us the executives that care much more about the bottom line than the individual artists, he shows us the creative clash that comes with multiple artists with different goals trying to operate the same machine, he even shows us the fallout that comes with realizing that the life you’ve always dreamed of is nothing like you expected. These characters all go through their own transformations and we see the different effects that fame and stardom has on them. It’s truly beautiful and incredibly human.
The movie is funny too! It’s marketed as a comedy drama but I really think it plays well and is genuinely clever. Steve Zahn steals his scenes as Lenny and is always quick to lighten the mood when things get too intense. I also love that throughout the whole movie, Ethan Embry’s character is actively trying to join the army and ditch the band- which he does once he gets the right opportunity. This is just good old-fashioned fun.
Some of the funniest scenes from the movie to me include the talent show and that completely unhinged announcer that threatens the audience, the gag that everyone keeps calling them “the oneders”, and when Guy gets drunk with Del Paxton.
Also, little things that make this movie feel so heartwarming, like Guy’s parents being proud of him finally after seeing him on TV, Lenny getting married to a flight attendant in Vagas or even the incredible moment when Fay finally tells Jimmy how she really feels about his ego and insensitive behaviour. It’s all so powerful because the movie takes the time and care to spend these intimate moments with each character.
Also, two of Tom Hanks’ kids are in this movie, and so is he and so is his wife. I love that. I love it so much.
Tom Hanks also made waves as a filmmaker with his directing style. The movie takes place in the early 60’s and serves as a nostalgic period piece that builds out the time period flawlessly. The costumes, the instruments, the soundtrack- it’s all so clean and poppy and it really works for me. I love the pastel color pallet, the uniforms that White makes the band the wear, and the perfectly executed original songs.
The Wonders have a sort of Beetles sound that leans heavier into rock n roll and the songs they play in this film are STILL in my iTunes rotation. If you love this time period and the early rock n’ roll genre, you’d be crazy not to check out this soundtrack ASAP. In fact, the title song “That Thing You Do” won an academy award for best original song in a movie the year it was released. And it is so well deserved.
It’s crazy to imagine, but Hanks built out musical stylings for multiple fictional artists in this film, and they all have their own sound. The amount of work that must’ve gone into creating these songs, and it shows in , artists, and brands must’ve been overwhelming, and it shows how well the world is built out and how full and rich it all seems.
After becoming billboard-topping artists, the band begins to unravel as fame changes our characters. Jimmy is no longer hiding his true nature as a narcissistic prick, Fay is done pretending that Johnny is unique, Lenny and The Bass Player fall out of love with the music altogether and Guy discovers that his true happiness is just playing his drums and creating a loving and musical environment for the people he cares about. These different realizations all lead to the inevitable dismantling of the band. I appreciate how soft Hanks’ approach was to the movie’s ending as well. Instead of making it over-dramatic and too intense, the realness and rawness of the character’s emotions are what makes the ending impactful. We see our crew get everything they ever wanted, only to find out that it was never what they were after. The Wonders, were never meant to be anything more than ONE HIT ONE-DERS.
Overall, this movie holds up every single time. I’ve probably watched this film 100 times since ’96, and I’m equally as in love with it now as I was then. It’s a movie that delivers a classic cinema kind of mood while also having some independent flare and sharp, clever writing that never leaves you anything short of invested. The comedy is genuinely funny, the drama pulls at your heartstrings, and the characters and their arcs really make you wonder what may have happened to some of your favourite heartstrings. The characters and their arcs make you wonder what may have happened to some of your favourite one-hit wonders.
So, If you haven’t seen That Thing You Do, do yourself a huge favour and check it out. This movie is damn near perfect. But as always, we want to hear from you! What do you think about Tom Hanks’ directorial debut? Is it possible that his best film happens to be the one he wrote and directed? Comment below!