That Thing You Do!

PG

Released Oct 4, 1996

1 hr. 50 min.

Comedy

Drama

List

93%

61 Reviews

Tomatometer

78%

100,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

Wily band manager Mr. White helps a small town band achieve big time success when they release a Beatles-style pop song in 1964. Pennsylvania band the "Oneders" become a sensation after their drummer breaks his arm, and is replaced by jazz enthusiast, Guy Patterson, who injects something a bit different into their music.

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Critics Consensus

A light, sweet, and thoroughly entertaining debut for director Tom Hanks, That Thing You Do! makes up in charm what it lacks in complexity.

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alan g

Great movie about the music scene in the 60s. Tom Hanks and the cast do a great job. A must watch.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

04/04/24

Full Review

Mike M

This is for those of us who have dreamed about being in a music group that actually hit the big time. A movie I find rewatchable. There are so many great lines that are delivered so very well. It left me wanting more so I saw the uncut version. The scenes that were edited out were very interesting. However I agree with the edits. The additional scenes tended to slow down the movie way too much. Getting back to "That Thing You Do" as it was released, I found it to be a wholesome funny story with some great dramatic parts. It never resorted to cheap cringeworthy humor. "That Thing You Do" is a great reflection of life in the more innocent time 1964. Without relying on previously released tracks the new music captures the spirit of the times. The soundtrack is a keeper and available on PlayTone Records! It's a shame "That Thing You Do" isn't mentioned more often in Mr Hanks film biography.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

03/14/24

Full Review

Jared B

Great first half the movie. The ending is so abrupt it definitely takes away from the experience.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

07/25/23

Full Review

Ron Y

It's a musical comedy classic, a seasoned musician would agree on that, especially if they didn't get a record deal or big time venue.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

06/04/23

Full Review

Pat W

The characters were interesting. The acting was good. The movie's depiction of a newly popular rock band struggling to navigate their way through the record industry and grappling with their own internal conflicts felt realistic. However, the film's pacing starts to stagger towards the end, and the ending itself just doesn't feel quite right. Like my driving after a night out at the bar, the script lacked the direction it needed to succeed completely.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

05/14/23

Full Review

Tony S

I love this movie. Everything about it is right - the band, Tom Hanks, the women, especially Faye, and the storyline. This film captures the enthusiasm of rock and roll in the 60s. Tom Hanks, the Dave Clark 5 lover, gave us a fantastic movie about that era.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

03/16/23

Full Review

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Tom Hanks

Director

Tom Everett Scott

Guy "Skitch" "Shades" Patterson

Liv Tyler

Faye Dolan

Johnathon Schaech

Jimmy Mattingly

Steve Zahn

Lenny Haise

Ethan Embry

T. B. Player

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Duane Byrge

Hollywood Reporter

The chief wonder of this rock 'n' roll cast is Tom Everett Scott, whose easy charisma, dreamy smile and undersurface intelligence should shoot him up the acting charts like a bullet.

Oct 4, 2016

Full Review

Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: A-

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum

Chicago Reader

Though Hanks keeps the satirical and critical aspects of this look at show biz fairly light, there's a lot of conviction and savvy behind the steadiness of his gaze.

Dec 17, 2007

Full Review

Wesley Lovell

Cinema Sight

For a film about rivalry, recriminations, and the allure of success, That Thing You Do! is a sweet, charming, humorous look at how far people are willing to go for success and how difficult it is to attain while maintaining the purity of your true self.

Rated: 4/4

Dec 4, 2022

Full Review

Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

A nostalgic, whistle-clean comedy about a (fictional) band like the dozens of other nice-boy bands that cropped up after The Beatles.

Rated: B

Sep 1, 2022

Full Review

David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

...a persistently entertaining endeavor that's been suffused with a whole host of appealing, captivating elements...

Rated: 3/4

Apr 13, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

Wily band manager Mr. White helps a small town band achieve big time success when they release a Beatles-style pop song in 1964. Pennsylvania band the "Oneders" become a sensation after their drummer breaks his arm, and is replaced by jazz enthusiast, Guy Patterson, who injects something a bit different into their music.

Director: Tom Hanks
Screenwriter: Tom Hanks
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Production Co: Twentieth Century Fox
Rating: PG
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Oct 4, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming): Nov 25, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA): $25.9M
Sound Mix: Surround

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