That Thing You Do!

After winning a talent show, a young band from Erie, PA find themselves on a whirlwind tour through the music industry that takes them all the way to Hollywood and the top of the charts. Tom Hanks’ directorial debut, That Thing You Do!, is an endlessly charming look at the rock and roll dream circa 1964. Impeccably well cast from the leads all the way down to the minor characters, That Thing You Do! oozes charisma. The key, of course, is the titular song, “That Thing You Do.” It’s fun and catchy and never gets grating over time, which is important because it gets played a dozen times over the course of the film. The fast pacing propels the movie, which is especially noticeable if you watch the extended cut. Nearly forty minutes longer, the extended cut is not necessary viewing but makes for a fun companion to the original theatrical cut.

Theatrical Cut

Rating: 80%

Extended Cut

Rating: 75%

(Image from Wikipedia)