That Thing You Do! (PG)
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This came out in 1996, which surprises me a bit. I was thinking it came out in the early 2000s. Anyway, I think I saw it on TV at some point, but I didn't remember anything specific about it before I watched it on Hulu in 2022 to write a review. The movie's title song became a moderate hit in real life, and I'm a fan of it. The movie was written and directed by Tom Hanks, who also has an important role in the film.
It's set in 1964, when a garage band in Erie, PA are planning to play at a local talent competition. The band includes lead singer/songwriter/guitarist Jimmy Mattingly II (who is very serious), lead guitarist Lenny Haise (who is kind of a clown), a bass player (who is never actually named in the movie), and a drummer named Chad (Giovanni Ribisi). Before the gig, Chad breaks his arm, so the band asks Guy Patterson (a big jazz fan) to sit in for one night. The band doesn't have a name yet, but they eventually settle on "The Oneders" (pronounced "wonders"), but everyone outside the band mispronounces it. They win the competition with their original song, That Thing You Do!, though Guy played at a faster tempo than Jimmy intended, which totally changed the sound and feel of the song. They soon get a regular gig at a local restaurant, where they start selling records. Then they get a manager, who gets them on the radio and more gigs, and eventually introduces them to Mr. White (Hanks), who becomes their new manager. He signs them with Play-tone Records, and gets them to change their name to "The Wonders". They go on tour, and their song starts climbing the charts. They're accompanied everywhere by Jimmy's girlfriend, Faye Dolan (Liv Tyler). Guy also has a girlfriend, Tina (Charlize Theron), but she stays behind and they break up before long.
And I don't really want to say anything else, to avoid spoilers. But it's a pretty good movie.