That Thing You Do!

⭐ 7.0/10

(Originally written by Tim)

This was the movie that substitute teachers would put on in music class, and I always loved it, probably because I have seen the first 45 minutes a million times and they are easily the best parts. Tom Hanks wrote and directed this story about a local Beatles'esque band that hits it big, and the trials they face along the way. Their hit song is catchy, and you believe it could be a hit, but you hear it probably 100x along the way and really get sick of it, which is probably the point.

The highlight of this movie is easily their first performance of the song, and then hearing their song on the radio for the first time. There is a lot of pure joy in these kids becoming popular, and the movie really works early on. However, once they reach stardom and start to fall apart the movie kind of drags, with some incredibly cringey writing around romance and an overall sense of aimlessness.

It's a tale as old as time, and their band is even called The Wonders, which is a pretty on-the-nose reference to being a one-hit wonder. There are some delightfully minor appearances by actors that are huge now (like Charlize Theron and Bryan Cranston). I just wish I could live in the joy of the first 30 minutes forever.