That Thing You Do! (1996)

Tom Hanks's debut as a writer and director is a lively, affectionate account of the shooting-star career of a forgotten (fictional) '60s pop-rock band called The Wonders--as in "one-hit wonders." Hanks plays the manager of the group, which includes drummer Guy "Sticks" Patterson (Tom Everett Scott) who works the floor at his parents' appliance store in Erie, Pennsylvania; Jimmy (Johnathon Schaech), the talented and temperamental lead singer and songwriter; Lenny (Steve Zahn), the goofy guitarist; and Ethan Embry as a geeky little fellow identified in the cast list only as "The Bass Player." The movie traces their meteoric rise and fall, from cutting their first record, to going on tour with a Phil Spector/Motown-type revue, to the internal tensions that lead to the band's disintegration, which comes when they fail to follow up their smash hit single, "That Thing You Do!" And that song, by the way, is so catchy it would definitely have been a hit in 1964--and deserves to be one today. This delightful movie would make a great double-bill with Allison Anders's wonderful Grace of My Heart. --Jim Emerson Amazon.com

"Lovin' that 'Thing You Do!'"

"That Thing You Do!" is a feel-good film written and directed by and featuring Tom Hanks. The movie is enjoyable, and the featured song, "That Thing You Do!" is the perfect "earworm"--it's bouncy and happy and stays with you long after the movie is over.

This Special Edition of the film is terrific, with more than 40 minutes of "never-before-seen footage". I had seen the movie several times before purchasing this edition and was always curious about things that are revealed in the full-play version.

The two-disc set is definitely recommended for fans of the film--present and future! The bonuses truly make it worth having! January 2, 2009

What a useless reworking of an already perfect movie...

If you loved the original version of this movie, as I do, then save yourself 2.5 hours and go do something else (anything else!) rather than watch this new extended version. After having sat through it, my main comment on this was that the editor of the original versrion deserved an Oscar because he/she got it right the first time and properly cut out all the unnecessary fat that bloats this version.

There is absolutely nothing of value that has been added to this version. In fact, after you've sat through what feels like 3 hours of movie and you realize, oh my god, they haven't even gotten through the Big Boss Vic Koss's talent show, you start to wonder just how many more days this is going to go on.

There is no need to explore Guy's and Tina's relationship more in-depth...I get it: Guy's more into his music than he is into Tina and so she heads for greener pastures. Nor do I need to see the development of her relationship with her dentist...who cares? I got it that Guy was smitten with Fay...I don't need to see some useless scenes of them yammering about stuff to help me see their budding relationship. Hey guys, Chad fell down...yeah...got that too...don't need to explore an additional 30 seconds of him rolling in the street holding his broken arm. The list goes on and on on and on of stuff that landed on the cutting room floor the first time for a reason: it does nothing to enhance the story, all it does is drag it down to a crawl and in the end, the movie is the worse for it. Oh yeah, the lame cameo appearances by Howie Long? Yeah, there's a reason his main success was in TV commercials and not in movies.

For all the artistic integrity I perceive Tom Hanks to have, I can't imagine why he felt the need to create this absolute piece of garbage. This is definitely one of those experiences where I'm left thinking "Who can I see about getting a refund on my 2 hours?". What a useless waste. December 31, 2008

That Thing You Do!!!

This is a great movie and the special features on this edition are nice :) November 24, 2008

The greatest movie plus 39 minutes equals Worst movie of all time!

No one ever believes it until they see it, but you have to trust me on this if you want to maintain your perception of one of the greatest films of all time. The Director's Cut version of That Thing You Do is one of the worst movies you will EVER see. Save yourself the trouble and the money, because it may very well destroy one of the best movies for you if you watch it. I know it seems completely implausible, but it's entirely true. The editing job they did on That Thing You Do, I am convinced, is the best that has ever been done on a film. They took a train wreck and turned it into a masterpiece. I know you won't believe me, no one ever does until it's too late, but heed my warning! Proceed at your own risk! or you will lose more than you ever thought possible. November 18, 2008

Stick with the originally released version

"Director's cuts" are seldom as good as the original theatrical releases. There were undoubtedly good reasons to leave some celluloid on the cutting room floor in the first place.
The additional scenes on this DVD not only do not add much to the original, they actually detract from it. The tight pacing of the shorter version is interrupted. SOme of the scenes introduce an element of sexuality into the film that takes away from one of the chief charms of the original. This was a movie that, on paper, should have been a flop because it was too tame. No sex, no drugs, no cursing. Yet it was embraced by mature movie-going audiences. Scenes involving Guy and Tina, The Bass Player and the Chantrelline, and --- above all -- Mr. White and "Lloyd", go a long way towards making this movie like all the others. And the movie is good precisely because it's not like all the others. Or at least, it wasn't until Hanks succumbed to the same ego trip as other directors, and decided he just had to share all his brilliant scenes with the audience.
November 5, 2008

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