That Thing You Do
As Reviewed by James Brundage
"That Thing You Do" Tom Hanks makes his directoral debut in this comedy about "The Wonders", a small band from Erie, Pensylvania that makes it big when a new drummer, Guy Patterson (Tom Hanks look-alike Tom Evert Scott), changes the beat to their song "That Thing You Do". The comedy is mediocre, the characters, flat, the writing, as good as the comedy, and the directing right down there with a B-rated TV show's. The movie has a few redeeming qualities, which are : Liv Tyler's performance, Tom Hanks sixty-odd lines, and the fact that the band is destined to break up. "That Thing You Do" is a movie which turns out like a giant acid flashback, sticking songs in your head that you may have once heard on your parent's stereo when they think that you aren't listening. This is a movie that you should rent on an old release for a quick thing to have your parents or 5-year old sibling watch, filling them with nostalia but making you want to leave the room. C-
Movie Reviews by James Brundage