THAT THING YOU DO

3/4

A fun film. Nothing fancy (With the possible exception of Liv Tyler's quiet but riveting little performance. Or maybe that's just Liv Tyler), but very fun.

Everything else in the film comes together neatly to deliver a very entertaining movie. Tom Hanks isn't going for the dramatically artistic statement for his first foray [mostly] behind the camera. Instead, he just moves a good and reliable story along briskly. Before seeing the film, I kept hearing how "nice" it was, as in "Tom Hanks has made the film we would have expected from such a nice guy."

This is not the film we would have expected from The Bosom Buddies' Tom Hanks--that would be SPLASH, or THE MONEY PIT. The critics are right, though. This is the film we expect from the kinder, gentler Tom Hanks of BIG, SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE, and FORREST GUMP. And when it's over, you don't have that annoying feeling you do with so many formula movies: that two hours have just been sucked from your life. This is a formula that hasn't been visited in a while, and it is so enjoyable that I am wondering why. Perhaps this will start a trend. The film's director has started trends before. Look at the SLEEPLESS... knock-offs, not to mention two [good] soundtracks.

I recommend this film when you're in a lighthearted mood, especially if you and your friends have ever harbored dreams of one day becoming rock stars. You could hardly have a "nicer" vicarious thrill.