Incannerax What a waste of my time!!!

SmugKitZine Tied for the best movie I have ever seen

Mjeteconer Just perfect...

Nayan Gough A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

denis888 Tom Hanks is a real steamroller who goes well and mighty. He did many great movies and he seems to do no wrong. Yet, here he seemed to be all correct again, with this funny little film of a young band getting famous and then falling apart due to several factors all gotten together at one place. Here, the story seems to be OK, yes, as a drummer I do support all those technical difficulties the band encountered and all those conflicts they had. Yes, the studio / TV / gig routines are shown pretty well. Yes, the band seems to be very real, they play as if the actors play all their parts themselves. Yes, Liv Tyler and Charlize Theron are gorgeous sexy ladies. Yes, the band is a very funny gang often. And then, many NO's follow. No, the characters do not endear or grab you by their struggles or triumphs. No, the love line does not seem to be deep or decent. No, the final conflict does not smack of being real and mundane. It seems that Hanks tried very hard to slide along the surface without diving any deeper. There is no deep slant drilling of main heroes, there's only some sweet light slight tiny touches upon their psyche. This is a light little teen comedy with a very large chunk of certain shallowness and naivety, seemingly all coming from blurred recollections of Mr. Hanks himself. Oh, and I am sorry but does Mr. Zahn not irritate with his character all through. This obvious shallowness of all four main heroes seems extremely annoying, and this fluffy-puffy sweetness of Liv's Faye leaves nothing but a cloy of too sweet candy. Where Hanks succeeded is in biting certain sides of TV / cinema routine. Where he fails is depicting band's true evolution. And oh, all those jazz sentiments, they are so out of place that one can only rub their eyes in utter shock. Yeah, the overall feeling of very lightweight teen pop comedy never left me. It was nice, it was sweet. Decent or deep it was not. My rating - 7 Nice try, but not more

Python Hyena That Thing You Do (1996): Dir: Tom Hanks / Cast: Tom Hanks, Tom Everett Scott, Liv Tyler, Steve Zahn, Ethan Embry: Reflecting on the music and talent of yesteryear with fresh talent hoping to gain the same recognition as their famous peers. Set in 1964 where a group of young adults form a band and write an overplayed song called "That Thing You Do." Tom Hanks becomes their manager and the group becomes the One-ders. Trouble strikes when the band slowly falls apart and they go separate ways. Structure is repetitious but the conclusion bares fact. Directing debut for Hanks who successfully captures the 1960's as well as the struggles of the music industry. He also provides a moral centre in a small but pivotal role as the band's manager. Supporting roles are effective but subdued by predictable writing. Tom Everett Scott seems to be the most durable as he seems to have his heart into it fully. Liv Tyler plays a girlfriend abandoned by another band mate. It is obvious that she will end up with Scott but her closing speech to her ex bares truth. Steve Zahn provides some humour as someone who quits the band to join the military. Superb production gives convincing view of 1960's and the music industry during the period. The film regards making it in an industry without promise and those who cannot see the road ahead due to lust for fame. Score: 8 / 10

gavin6942 A Pennsylvania band scores a hit in 1964 and rides the star-making machinery as long as it can, with lots of help from its manager (Tom Hanks).There is nothing really new here. A cast of fresh-faced kids (and a young Liv Tyler), rising up in stardom, and stumbling along the way. We all know what happens if we let fame get to our heads and we leave our friends behind.What makes this film stand out is the catchy tune. Even though they play it a dozen times throughout the film, it never really gets old. Had the song been not as good, the film would drag and certainly would not having the staying power it does. (Not unlike "Eddie and the Cruisers", which is very much anchored by its "Dark Side" song.)

da6133011378 I don't know why the critics were so harsh on this movie. I thought it was great. Without being specific to any one band, it tells the story of so many bands from the 1950's-1960's. This is the only movie I can recall that tells the story of how a local garage band becomes a one-hit-wonder, and how they move from local radio to #1 in the country, to oblivion - in a matter of (what seems like) weeks.I appreciated that the movie didn't portray anyone as the villain. There was no evil record company, no diabolical agent. It was the music business, and a band with a catchy song - each one made each other some money. How they captured the feel of the late 50's so well without seeming cliché - I have no idea,A fun, memorable movie.