AmateurMovieReviews.com

Tom Hanks as the director and plays the part of Mr. White, the manager and the discoverer of bands under the Play-one records. Mr. White is a character that motivates and persuades all the characters to move along his plans. His influence in the beginning of the creation of the band until the very lives of each individual that lead to the story itself. Tom Hans aside from the brilliance in acting never cease to unwind moviegoers in the simple zest of romance, inspiration and the ability to dream. He made the film that makes us experience how simple people were during 1960's

"That thing you do"is the hit song that entitles the film that is a perfect strategy to easily remember the movie itself. The song makes a lasting impression for moviegoers, with the catchy up beat, ballad turned rock and roll. In that 1964 era where most hit band like "the Beetles" , evidently the movie was inspired by this band. The type of song genre used in this film is similar to the hit songs of The Beetles. There songs almost lived in decades, from one generation to the other and continually the fans embraced them and Tom Hanks is wise enough to relive the experience through this film.

The band is composed of Guy Patterson (Tom Everett Scott), a drummer who was famous for the sunglasses he used for trademark. Talented and sensitive guy who works in an appliance store where he used the basement for his drum lessons. There is Jimmy (Jonathan Schaech) the leader and the songwriter whose ambition of succeeding goes way beyond his head. The rest are Lenny (Steve Zhan) and Ethan Embry as the bass player. Originally, Guy was not part of the band only then when one of the band's member breaks his arm and replaced by him.

During the talent show where the band showed their first carrier single the audience instantly loved them or the ballad song turned rock and roll. Guy changed the tempo of the song that made it into big hit. A whirlwind of fame came crashing on them as fans followed their gigs to different clubs they are in. From a simple song recording using the church's equipment and into the actual selling of the album, radio jockeys and television shows caught up with their song. There was a turnover of management and Mr. White just brought them to fame.

However, fame got into the head of Jimmy, the once totally attached band come into separate ways as each one realizes their own interest. They end up breaking apart. The most interesting part of the movie is the love triangle between Guy, Jimmy and Liv Tyler. Liv playing Jimmy's girlfriend is the catch for Guy seeing them both having romantic compatibility. Liv is just the shadow fan of her boyfriend of whom Guy had noticed himself eventually to have fallen for her. Seeing her in her downiest moment and even noticing her in her best.

Tom Hanks really made it possible to create a mixture of romance, portraying society and the music of 1960's. Instead of focusing on the fame and how the band achieve their dream finally a point of conclusion that they made it to the end, Tom had a different view. He connected it to the reality on what really happened to them after succeeding without eliminating the essential part that is the love story of Guy and Liv. At least, Tom did not dismay the audience to the possible fans of that love story. Although the story is excessively obvious as you would had noticed in the beginning that who ends with whom and who might break up.

The movie is romance with the exuberance to music. Even after the movie, it really made me intrigue of the history of the band and even thought of acquiring the original copy. The song was enticing even though it was repeated almost a couple of times, and watching girls even throwing themselves following their songs. Every time Guy hits the drum, you could just feel the energy from the fans as if you were watching a band that exists today. There was not so much conflict in the story but simple how the group created the band and in the end after knowing they are having all the attention, got burned out and decides to separate ways. On that part, it made me quite feel poignant knowing that they could stay long in the limelight. At least the good ending of the story was that Guy and Liv knew that they had loved each other.