That Thing You Do! (1996)

In every life there comes a time when that dream you dream becomes that thing you do.

It's the year after the Beatles landed in the USA and garage bands are flourishing and rising to the top of the pop charts. Even Erie turns out a a four/four beat band -- the One-ders.

Jazz musician Guy Patterson (Scott TE) recruited into the band the One-ders when the regular drummer, Chad (Giovanni Ribisi), breaks his arm. Patterson father, who owns an appliance store where Guy works, isn't happy about this turn of events as the band wins a local talent contest and is a hit playing at a local Italian restaurant. But when an agent signs up the One-ders with the promise of huge success, what are four teenage boys to do?

It doesn't take long for a big record executive, Mr. White (Tom Hanks, who also wrote and directed this film), to sign the boys to PlayTone records and take them on tour with the PlayTone stable to state fairs around the country. But when their hot record, "That Thing You Do," takes the nation by storm, the boys really break out in the big time.

Other band members include Jimmy Mattingly (Johnathon Schaech), Lenny Haise (Steve Zahn) and T.B. Player (Ethan Embry).

Others in the cast are Liv Tyler as Jimmy's girlfriend Faye, Charlize Theron as Guy's girlfriend Tina, Alex Rocco as the top PlayTone dude, Clint Howard as a disc jockey, Kevin Pollak as Boss Vic Koss, a stage show manager and host, plus Peter Scolari, Rita Wilson, Chris Isaak. Hanks' kids Colin Hanks and Elizabeth Hanks even got bit parts.

Run time: 1 hour, 44 minutes

Rated PG for some language.

My personal rating: C+