om Hanks’ directing debut is a fairy tale ode to pop music and early 1960s America. Tom Everett Scott is small-town Pennsylvania teenager Guy Patterson who joins a band and ups the tempo of its hit song, “That Thing You Do.” The band calls itself “The One-ders,” but that comes out The Oh-Ny-Ders so they settle for The Wonders. Hanks is Mr. White, an unsmiling record company exec who helps the band grow up (“the star-maker machinery behind the popular song,” as Joni Mitchell wrote) Tak Fujimoto’s cinematography gives the movie eminent bounce. Good music, “Leave it to Beaver” characters, superb pacing, a delightful Liv Tyler: what’s not to like? Unless you’re looking for Serious Hanks.
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About the Author: Marcia Yarrow
A military brat, Marcia Yarrow was born in Hamburg, Germany but grew up in Germany, Spain, and Provo, Utah. She's been writing for the magazine since its creation in 2004.