Title: "That Thing You Do!"
Director: Tom HanksProducer: T. Hanks and J. Demme
Editing: Richard Chew
Music:
- Score: Howard Shore
- Songs: T. Hanks, A. Schlesinger, R. Elias, H. Shore, etc.
Starring:
- Tom Everett Scott as Guy "Shades" Patterson
- Johnathon Schaech as James "Jimmy" Mattingly II
- Steve Zahn as Leonard "Lenny" Haise
- Ethan Embry as "T. B. Player," a.k.a. The Bass Player
- Tom Hanks as Mr. White
- Liv Tyler as Faye Dolan
- Charlize Theron as Tina Powers
- Bill Cobbs as Del Paxton
- Giovanni Ribisi as Chad
- Obba Babatundé as Lamarr
- Chris Ellis as Phil Horace
- Alex Rocco as Sol Siler
- Chris Isaak as Uncle Bob
Plot and Critical Review: In 1964, Guy Patterson is a drummer and jazz fan who works at his family's appliance store in Erie, Pennsylvania. Rhythm guitarist/singer Jimmy Mattingly and lead guitarist/singer Lenny Haise ask Guy to substitute at the annual Mercyhurst College talent show for their group's injured regular drummer. The group, including the bass player, plan on playing a ballad written by Jimmy and Lenny titled "That Thing You Do". Jimmy's girlfriend Faye Dolan suggests for the group the name "The Oneders"; it is pronounced "ONE-ders", but it is almost always mispronounced as the "oh-NEE-ders."
At the talent show, Guy unexpectedly sets up a fast, pounding beat rhythm to the originally slow-paced love song and it excites the crowd. The Oneders win the $100 top prize, obtain their first paying gig at a pizza parlor, and begin selling a single of "That Thing You Do", which receives local radio airplay and earns them bookings in nearby cities. After being herded by a local manager, their act becomes hotter and, at a Pittsburgh gig, a record company A&R representative (Mr. White) signs the band to Play-Tone Records, renaming the group The Wonders.
The Wonders and Faye tour state fairs across the Midwest during the summer with other Play-Tone artists. During the course of the tour Guy and Faye grow closer. "That Thing You Do" enters and climbs the Billboard Top 100. The Wonders go from being an opening act to the featured attraction, and throngs of teenage girls mob the band. Half-way through the tour The Bass Player announces that he still plans to enlist in the United States Marine Corps at the end of the summer. When "That Thing You Do" hits the Billboard Top 10, Play-Tone sends the band to Hollywood to meet Sol Siler, the label's owner. On the flight, Faye comes down with a mild case of flu and only Guy seems solicitous of her comfort. Siler and White promise The Wonders that they will appear in a major motion picture and have a recording session for a new album.
The Wonders appear as "Captain Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters" in the low-budget beach movie "Weekend at Party Pier"; this and Siler's other actions disillusion Jimmy, whose apparent disinterest in anything (or anyone) disturbs White and, slowly, the other members of the band. The Bass Player leaves the group to join Marines he met at the hotel restaurant and never returns. Guy meets his idol, jazz pianist Del Paxton , at a jazz club. An experienced studio bassist named Scott Pell joins The Wonders for a live performance on The Hollywood Television Showcase. During the nationally televised prime-time variety show, the words "Careful girls, he's engaged!" are captioned on the screen beneath Jimmy's image. After the show, Jimmy disrupts the Wonders' dressing suite celebration by demanding to know from Faye who suggested they were engaged. As the others listen in horror, Jimmy tells Faye he does not intend to marry her, and Faye brokenheartedly ends their relationship. As everyone but Guy leaves the suite, Guy asks Jimmy why he couldn't have dumped her in Pittsburgh.
The band gathers in the studio for a recording session and Jimmy is enraged to learn the Wonders are to record mostly songs from the Play-Tone catalog for their album. In an implication that this is his opportunity to teach Jimmy a lesson in humility, White tells Jimmy their Play-Tone contract gives White the final say on the album's material. He promises Jimmy one original song per side of the album but demands "snappy" material, not ballads. Outraged, Jimmy quits the band. Lenny never showed up for the session, having driven to Las Vegas to elope with a Play-Tone secretary/former Playboy Bunny after the televised show. White declares the group in breach of contract but declines to pursue those charges legally, concurrently implying that Guy - whom he obviously respects the most of anyone in the band - should pursue Faye. Del Paxton, who is recording next door, hears Guy's drumming and the two record a jam session. Later that afternoon Guy meets Faye at the hotel just as she is about to leave for Erie. Guy tells Faye that Del thinks he has potential as a studio musician, and that he's decided to stay in California to pursue his music. Guy finally expresses his feelings for Faye and kisses her. The two embrace.
My Rating: 8.5/10 (That might seem high for a quasi-independent film, but the critics agree, as does the general response of moviegoers.)
Content to Caution:
V-1 - No comment.
L-2 - Young men with hasty tongues. You know how it is...
DU-1 - Some drinking and smoking.
RT-0 - No comment.
H/S-0 - No comment.
CH-2 - Young men making young men's jokes. You know how it is...
S/N-1 - Some kissing. Lenny befriends and marries a former Playboy Bunny who isn't afraid to show it.
The "Reel Revelation": "Failing Fervor and Single-Mindedness"
Have you ever gotten a job that you felt was "perfect" for you? You get into a new position and it feels like the job was meant just for you. You feel alive as you find that every ounce of your creative and professional energies are being utilized. Then, after a time, your fervor starts to fail, and you lose interest. Before long you find that you don't care quite as much as you used to; that your former love has faded. If this was your "dream job", you must've woken up, because it just doesn't have the appeal it used to. What happened?!
"Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose." (Phil. 2:1-2)
Starring:
- Tom Everett Scott as Guy "Shades" Patterson
- Johnathon Schaech as James "Jimmy" Mattingly II
- Steve Zahn as Leonard "Lenny" Haise
- Ethan Embry as "T. B. Player," a.k.a. The Bass Player
- Tom Hanks as Mr. White
- Liv Tyler as Faye Dolan
- Charlize Theron as Tina Powers
- Bill Cobbs as Del Paxton
- Giovanni Ribisi as Chad
- Obba Babatundé as Lamarr
- Chris Ellis as Phil Horace
- Alex Rocco as Sol Siler
- Chris Isaak as Uncle Bob
Plot and Critical Review: In 1964, Guy Patterson is a drummer and jazz fan who works at his family's appliance store in Erie, Pennsylvania. Rhythm guitarist/singer Jimmy Mattingly and lead guitarist/singer Lenny Haise ask Guy to substitute at the annual Mercyhurst College talent show for their group's injured regular drummer. The group, including the bass player, plan on playing a ballad written by Jimmy and Lenny titled "That Thing You Do". Jimmy's girlfriend Faye Dolan suggests for the group the name "The Oneders"; it is pronounced "ONE-ders", but it is almost always mispronounced as the "oh-NEE-ders."
At the talent show, Guy unexpectedly sets up a fast, pounding beat rhythm to the originally slow-paced love song and it excites the crowd. The Oneders win the $100 top prize, obtain their first paying gig at a pizza parlor, and begin selling a single of "That Thing You Do", which receives local radio airplay and earns them bookings in nearby cities. After being herded by a local manager, their act becomes hotter and, at a Pittsburgh gig, a record company A&R representative (Mr. White) signs the band to Play-Tone Records, renaming the group The Wonders.
The Wonders and Faye tour state fairs across the Midwest during the summer with other Play-Tone artists. During the course of the tour Guy and Faye grow closer. "That Thing You Do" enters and climbs the Billboard Top 100. The Wonders go from being an opening act to the featured attraction, and throngs of teenage girls mob the band. Half-way through the tour The Bass Player announces that he still plans to enlist in the United States Marine Corps at the end of the summer. When "That Thing You Do" hits the Billboard Top 10, Play-Tone sends the band to Hollywood to meet Sol Siler, the label's owner. On the flight, Faye comes down with a mild case of flu and only Guy seems solicitous of her comfort. Siler and White promise The Wonders that they will appear in a major motion picture and have a recording session for a new album.
The Wonders appear as "Captain Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters" in the low-budget beach movie "Weekend at Party Pier"; this and Siler's other actions disillusion Jimmy, whose apparent disinterest in anything (or anyone) disturbs White and, slowly, the other members of the band. The Bass Player leaves the group to join Marines he met at the hotel restaurant and never returns. Guy meets his idol, jazz pianist Del Paxton , at a jazz club. An experienced studio bassist named Scott Pell joins The Wonders for a live performance on The Hollywood Television Showcase. During the nationally televised prime-time variety show, the words "Careful girls, he's engaged!" are captioned on the screen beneath Jimmy's image. After the show, Jimmy disrupts the Wonders' dressing suite celebration by demanding to know from Faye who suggested they were engaged. As the others listen in horror, Jimmy tells Faye he does not intend to marry her, and Faye brokenheartedly ends their relationship. As everyone but Guy leaves the suite, Guy asks Jimmy why he couldn't have dumped her in Pittsburgh.
The band gathers in the studio for a recording session and Jimmy is enraged to learn the Wonders are to record mostly songs from the Play-Tone catalog for their album. In an implication that this is his opportunity to teach Jimmy a lesson in humility, White tells Jimmy their Play-Tone contract gives White the final say on the album's material. He promises Jimmy one original song per side of the album but demands "snappy" material, not ballads. Outraged, Jimmy quits the band. Lenny never showed up for the session, having driven to Las Vegas to elope with a Play-Tone secretary/former Playboy Bunny after the televised show. White declares the group in breach of contract but declines to pursue those charges legally, concurrently implying that Guy - whom he obviously respects the most of anyone in the band - should pursue Faye. Del Paxton, who is recording next door, hears Guy's drumming and the two record a jam session. Later that afternoon Guy meets Faye at the hotel just as she is about to leave for Erie. Guy tells Faye that Del thinks he has potential as a studio musician, and that he's decided to stay in California to pursue his music. Guy finally expresses his feelings for Faye and kisses her. The two embrace.
I believe I saw "That Thing You Do!" when it came out in theatres. If I didn't see it on the big screen, I know I saw it soon after it was released on VHS. I was hooked from my first viewing. I remember pleading with my Mom to get me the soundtrack. I've since bought, lost, and re-purchased the soundtrack two or three times. The music is infectiously joyous and certainly reflective of the "pop" music of the 60s. Other tracks feature groups that try to replace the "popular sounds" of that musical era; jazz quartets, girl groups (think The Supremes), the ballad diva, and surf rock. Here are some links for your consideration:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c-uP0N3jjmc&feature=related ("That Thing You Do!")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq9BDLpI3JI ("Hold My Hand, Hold My Heart")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgP4zxg1_hE ("Dance With Me Tonight" - My favorite.)
"That Thing..." brought in a modest $34 million at the theatres, but it has since gone on to reach cult-like status as a favorite in many demographics. Not only do people love the movie itself (a huge leap for Tom Hanks, as this was his direct directing gig), but the music has jumped off of the screen and found a welcome home with fans all over the world. Where else in the musical sphere do we find actual rock and roll bands covering songs written and performed by a fictional group?
Should you care to impress your friends with some trivia, you can tell them that Tom Hanks is the highest grossing actor of all time; his entire filmography has made over $3.6 billion dollars.
My Rating: 8.5/10 (That might seem high for a quasi-independent film, but the critics agree, as does the general response of moviegoers.)
Content to Caution:
V-1 - No comment.
L-2 - Young men with hasty tongues. You know how it is...
DU-1 - Some drinking and smoking.
RT-0 - No comment.
H/S-0 - No comment.
CH-2 - Young men making young men's jokes. You know how it is...
S/N-1 - Some kissing. Lenny befriends and marries a former Playboy Bunny who isn't afraid to show it.
The "Reel Revelation": "Failing Fervor and Single-Mindedness"
Have you ever gotten a job that you felt was "perfect" for you? You get into a new position and it feels like the job was meant just for you. You feel alive as you find that every ounce of your creative and professional energies are being utilized. Then, after a time, your fervor starts to fail, and you lose interest. Before long you find that you don't care quite as much as you used to; that your former love has faded. If this was your "dream job", you must've woken up, because it just doesn't have the appeal it used to. What happened?!
We all experience this sense of fading interest and passion. If we don't experience it in our jobs, we definitely experience it in our relationships. Once the "honeymoon phase" ends (be it in a new friendship or in a romantic relationship) we find ourselves holding back, discovering that we're not so willing to commit as much time or effort to the relationship. Our love for the person remains (just as we might still love a job, or a certain type of service), but our interest starts to fade away. This is, in a sense, the predicament faced by the members of The Wonders in "That Thing You Do!" You'd think they'd be endlessly excited about their meteoric rise to the top of the charts, but the higher they climb the more they're put to the test by distractions and other opportunities. Lenny, once the co-writer of the group, can't stop thinking about women. He drives to Vegas and marries a Playboy Bunny. The Bass Player only ever wanted to be in the USMC and bails on the band to enlist. Jimmy (who, at first glance, seems to be the musical center of the group) becomes more interested in his own music and success. In the end, Guy seems to be the only member of the band who genuinely cares about the music at all.
But even Guy faced distractions, and in the film that distraction came in the form of Faye Dolan, the heartbreakingly sweet "costume specialist" who tagged along with the group wherever they went. Even when Faye was dating Jimmy (which she was through 95% of the film), Guy's feelings for her were unchanging; he loved her from the get-go. But Guy kept his feelings for her in check. He recognized his affections, but didn't allow them to overpower his senses. He cared for her, played with her, laughed with her, and kept her company, but never at the expense of the task at hand. He never compromised his love of music, nor did he jeopardize his drive to become a great musician. And when the opportunity came for him to confess his love, he jumped at it. But even then, Faye didn't suddenly overwhelm his focus; she became a part of it! How has God turned potential distractions (whatever they may be) into a part of your ministry and evangelism?
St. Paul admonished the Christians in Corinth to be "like-minded" (2. Cor. 13:11) in proclaiming the Gospel. He knew that they lived in a city full of distractions and saw how easily they could be pulled apart by the divisions that could creep into their fellowship of faith. Even the most fervent Christians, full of zeal for Christ and the Gospel, were pouring their energies into issues which actually took them away from the work of the Kingdom. See 1 Cor. 1-4 for examples. While it was important for Christians to be tending to matters which concerned the Body of Christ, Paul saw how the concerns (and sin) of even one individual could distract others from serving Christ in a "like-minded" fashion. Go back The Wonders and consider how a band of immense popularity and (relative) talent ought to have been focused on one goal; making music, selling records, and showing fans a good time. The distractions they faced (that seemed to be no more than trifles in the beginning) eventually led to the band's dissolution. How much more damage will our distractions do to the Body of Christ!
The Christians in Corinth struggled with it, as did those in Philippi. To those, St. Paul wrote:
That "purpose"?
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28: 19-20)
Distractions to the left
Distractions to the right
Distractions to the left
Distractions to the right
Before and above
Behind and below
Shut them out
Shut them up
Shut them away
And "Go..."
See you tomorrow - E.T.
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