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Hub AI
That Thing You Do! AI simulator
(@That Thing You Do!_simulator)
Hub AI
That Thing You Do! AI simulator
(@That Thing You Do!_simulator)
That Thing You Do!
That Thing You Do! is a 1996 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Tom Hanks, in his feature writing and directorial debut. Set in 1960s rock and roll culture, it chronicles the rise and fall of a fictional one-hit wonder pop band and stars Tom Everett Scott in his film debut along with Johnathon Schaech, Steve Zahn, and Ethan Embry as the band's members, with Liv Tyler and Hanks appearing in supporting roles. Its production and music are key to its narrative, with original scores by a collaboration of artists including Hanks, Adam Schlesinger, and Howard Shore. The soundtrack peaked at #21 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, featuring a mix of diegetic and non-diegetic tracks. The cast practiced for weeks to perform convincingly on camera, blurring the lines between reality and fiction.
Despite being well received by critics, receiving several accolades, and producing a musical hit with the title song, which was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, the film was a commercial disappointment, grossing $34.6 million against a $26 million budget.
That Thing You Do! is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America.
In 1964, aspiring jazz drummer Guy Patterson is working in his family's appliance store in Erie, Pennsylvania, when his friends Jimmy Mattingly II and Lenny Haise ask him to perform a song Jimmy wrote at a talent show with their band, because their regular drummer broke his arm. They rehearse the song, a slow-tempo ballad called "That Thing You Do!" in Jimmy's garage. Jimmy's girlfriend Faye Dolan, inspired by the Beatles, suggests that the band should be named "The Oneders" (pronounced "wonders"). At the talent show, Guy forces the song into a faster tempo, winning the band the competition and earning a paying gig at Villapiano's, a local pizza parlor. After they decide to record the song and sell 45s of it, produced by Guy's Uncle Bob, local talent promoter Phil Horace notices the band, promising them radio airplay within 10 days. Lenny convinces the band to sign with him.
Phil keeps his promise, and the song gets regular play on Pennsylvania radio, becoming an instant local hit. He eventually books them for a showcase concert in Pittsburgh, where technical difficulties and the band's lack of stagecraft result in a disastrous performance. Afterward, Phil introduces a dispirited Guy to Mr. White, an A&R representative for Play-Tone Records, who offers the band a contract and becomes their manager. He renames the band "The Wonders" and unifies their style and presentation. He places them on the Play-Tone tour of Midwestern state fairs, with Faye handling their wardrobes so she can stay on the tour with Jimmy.
During the tour, the Wonders meet other acts, learn about the business, and improve their performing skills. "That Thing You Do!" garners national radio airplay, raising the band's popularity and eventually reaching number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100; Mr. White then sends them to Los Angeles for publicity, including radio and film appearances. While the rest of the band revels in their newfound fame and success, Jimmy becomes increasingly irritable due to wanting to record a new album. On the day of their appearance on The Hollywood Television Showcase (a nationally-televised live variety show), Guy is hungover after meeting his idol, jazz pianist Del Paxton, while Jimmy is nervously vomiting and Lenny is preoccupied with his new girlfriend. The band's bass guitarist is absent after abruptly joining the Marine Corps, so Mr. White has replaced him with experienced session guitarist Scott "Wolfman" Pell. The Wonders successfully perform "That Thing You Do!", but when television captions introduce the individual members, Jimmy is visibly angered by an additional caption announcing his apparent engagement.
In the dressing room after the performance, Jimmy furiously accuses Faye of orchestrating the engagement announcement. Faye, already disillusioned with Jimmy's behavior, breaks up with him. Lenny, meanwhile, elopes with his girlfriend in Las Vegas. The next day, at a scheduled recording session at Play-Tone's studio, Mr. White has brought new material approved by Play-Tone for Jimmy and Guy to record, as dictated by the band's contract. Jimmy, insistent on recording his own songs, immediately quits and leaves. Mr. White reassures Guy that short-lived one-hit wonders are common in the music industry. Guy, left alone in the studio, improvises on drums, attracting the attention of Del Paxton. Impressed by Guy's impromptu drumming, Del joins Guy and records an improvised jazz duet with him. Returning to the hotel to check out, Guy tells a dejected Faye that he plans to stay in Los Angeles, while she says she will return to Erie. He pursues her and they finally admit their long-hidden feelings for each other before sharing a kiss.
A picture-and-text epilogue reveals the fates of the band members. Jimmy returned to Play-Tone and formed a highly successful new band named "The Heardsmen", and is a record producer in Los Angeles. Lenny, single again, manages a casino in Laughlin, Nevada. The bass guitarist (named "T.B. Player" in the credits) served two tours of duty in Vietnam with the Marines, earning a Purple Heart, and works in construction in Orlando, Florida. Finally, Guy and Faye married and raised four children in Venice, California, before moving to Bainbridge Island, Washington and founding the Puget Sound Conservatory of Music, where Guy teaches jazz composition.
That Thing You Do!
That Thing You Do! is a 1996 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Tom Hanks, in his feature writing and directorial debut. Set in 1960s rock and roll culture, it chronicles the rise and fall of a fictional one-hit wonder pop band and stars Tom Everett Scott in his film debut along with Johnathon Schaech, Steve Zahn, and Ethan Embry as the band's members, with Liv Tyler and Hanks appearing in supporting roles. Its production and music are key to its narrative, with original scores by a collaboration of artists including Hanks, Adam Schlesinger, and Howard Shore. The soundtrack peaked at #21 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, featuring a mix of diegetic and non-diegetic tracks. The cast practiced for weeks to perform convincingly on camera, blurring the lines between reality and fiction.
Despite being well received by critics, receiving several accolades, and producing a musical hit with the title song, which was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song, the film was a commercial disappointment, grossing $34.6 million against a $26 million budget.
That Thing You Do! is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America.
In 1964, aspiring jazz drummer Guy Patterson is working in his family's appliance store in Erie, Pennsylvania, when his friends Jimmy Mattingly II and Lenny Haise ask him to perform a song Jimmy wrote at a talent show with their band, because their regular drummer broke his arm. They rehearse the song, a slow-tempo ballad called "That Thing You Do!" in Jimmy's garage. Jimmy's girlfriend Faye Dolan, inspired by the Beatles, suggests that the band should be named "The Oneders" (pronounced "wonders"). At the talent show, Guy forces the song into a faster tempo, winning the band the competition and earning a paying gig at Villapiano's, a local pizza parlor. After they decide to record the song and sell 45s of it, produced by Guy's Uncle Bob, local talent promoter Phil Horace notices the band, promising them radio airplay within 10 days. Lenny convinces the band to sign with him.
Phil keeps his promise, and the song gets regular play on Pennsylvania radio, becoming an instant local hit. He eventually books them for a showcase concert in Pittsburgh, where technical difficulties and the band's lack of stagecraft result in a disastrous performance. Afterward, Phil introduces a dispirited Guy to Mr. White, an A&R representative for Play-Tone Records, who offers the band a contract and becomes their manager. He renames the band "The Wonders" and unifies their style and presentation. He places them on the Play-Tone tour of Midwestern state fairs, with Faye handling their wardrobes so she can stay on the tour with Jimmy.
During the tour, the Wonders meet other acts, learn about the business, and improve their performing skills. "That Thing You Do!" garners national radio airplay, raising the band's popularity and eventually reaching number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100; Mr. White then sends them to Los Angeles for publicity, including radio and film appearances. While the rest of the band revels in their newfound fame and success, Jimmy becomes increasingly irritable due to wanting to record a new album. On the day of their appearance on The Hollywood Television Showcase (a nationally-televised live variety show), Guy is hungover after meeting his idol, jazz pianist Del Paxton, while Jimmy is nervously vomiting and Lenny is preoccupied with his new girlfriend. The band's bass guitarist is absent after abruptly joining the Marine Corps, so Mr. White has replaced him with experienced session guitarist Scott "Wolfman" Pell. The Wonders successfully perform "That Thing You Do!", but when television captions introduce the individual members, Jimmy is visibly angered by an additional caption announcing his apparent engagement.
In the dressing room after the performance, Jimmy furiously accuses Faye of orchestrating the engagement announcement. Faye, already disillusioned with Jimmy's behavior, breaks up with him. Lenny, meanwhile, elopes with his girlfriend in Las Vegas. The next day, at a scheduled recording session at Play-Tone's studio, Mr. White has brought new material approved by Play-Tone for Jimmy and Guy to record, as dictated by the band's contract. Jimmy, insistent on recording his own songs, immediately quits and leaves. Mr. White reassures Guy that short-lived one-hit wonders are common in the music industry. Guy, left alone in the studio, improvises on drums, attracting the attention of Del Paxton. Impressed by Guy's impromptu drumming, Del joins Guy and records an improvised jazz duet with him. Returning to the hotel to check out, Guy tells a dejected Faye that he plans to stay in Los Angeles, while she says she will return to Erie. He pursues her and they finally admit their long-hidden feelings for each other before sharing a kiss.
A picture-and-text epilogue reveals the fates of the band members. Jimmy returned to Play-Tone and formed a highly successful new band named "The Heardsmen", and is a record producer in Los Angeles. Lenny, single again, manages a casino in Laughlin, Nevada. The bass guitarist (named "T.B. Player" in the credits) served two tours of duty in Vietnam with the Marines, earning a Purple Heart, and works in construction in Orlando, Florida. Finally, Guy and Faye married and raised four children in Venice, California, before moving to Bainbridge Island, Washington and founding the Puget Sound Conservatory of Music, where Guy teaches jazz composition.
