When the super 4 CD set of the Nuggets compilation came out in 1998 I read the notes by Lenny Kaye avidly. This was clearly a man with his finger on the pulse. He recommended some films including American Graffiti and a recent film I had never heard of called “That Thing You Do!”. I googled, found a film that appeared to be a Tom Hanks vehicle but seemed to be generally well thought of. I watched and found a cracking film full of nostalgia (Hanks must have been just the right age to be there). The music was right, the featured song that gives the film its title was good piece of powerpop regardless of vintage. The cast were fine, if they weren’t actually able to play there instruments it didn’t show and overall it was an hour and a half well spent.
I’ve watched it every so often since then but it seems to have become a bit of a forgotten backwater of Hanks’ career. If you haven’t seen “That Thing You Do!” and you have any interest at all in the music scene of the sixties you should watch it. It’s on Netflix in the UK at present as the extended cut which is mostly extra music.
I found the soundtrack album in a charity shop recently and that too is worth your attention. Anyway seek this little lost classic out and in the meantime here’s the main attraction.
