Who doesn’t love a great story about an underdog who makes it big? It’s the epiphany of the American dream! And, besides, who hasn’t dreamed of becoming a rock star at some point in their lives?
The first time I saw this movie was in the historic Byrd Theater in Richmond. I was knee deep in my first year of grad school, studying for exams, and about to burn out from all the stress. One of my study partners suggested we take a break. This movie was it! It was a Saturday night, so we even got to hear the legendary Werlitzer organ play in the Byrd! I briefly forgot about all my troubles, and I became completely lost in the joy of this movie.
The creation of Tom Hanks, That Thing You Do follows the journey of the Wonders, a garage band that makes it big seemingly overnight. The film answers the question, “Who are the one hit wonders?”
My favorite scene is when they all first hear their song on the radio. Witnessing their sheer joy is truly uplifting!
My husband, even though he doesn’t understand my adoration for this movie, sought out a copy for me one Christmas. He also got me the soundtrack CD, which was buried under a bunch of other forgotten titles in a $5 bin at our local Best Buy. I was elated!
With the advent of iTunes, I actually bought another song on this soundtrack: Little Wild One. It is currently on my running playlist.
If you didn’t know, the artist who wrote the song That Thing You Do as well as most of the other songs on the soundtrack was Adam Schlessenger of the band Fountains of Wayne. You may know him better for the song Stacey’s Mom. Sadly, he succumbed to Covid at the beginning of the pandemic. That makes this movie even more special to me now.
The stars of this movie got together later in the pandemic, after Adam passed away, to watch the movie together in a live stream, providing commentary along the way. It was so bittersweet to watch.
To this day, though, this is one of my all time favorite movies to watch when I’m not feeling well.
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Do you love this movie, too? What are some of your favorite comfort movies? I’d love to hear about it!
As always, I hope you all are safe and healthy.
Anne the Vegan 