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# That Thing You Do! (1998)
- URL: https://the-midnight-screening.ghost.io/that-thing-you-do-1998/
- Published: 2026-08-07T15:02:53.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-07T15:02:52.000Z
- Author: David Weathersby

There used to be a thing called the feel-good movie. You don’t really see them as much anymore. Tom Hanks made one of the best feel-good movies Hollywood has seen, and it sadly wasn’t the hit everyone expected. 1998’s That Thing You Do!, directed by Mr. Hanks, his debut, is based on the 60s music scene he grew up with, and the fictional band at the heart of the movie, The Wonders, are sort of a proto-Beatles, with just less success. It tracks the quick rise and fall of the group with an infectious hit which happens to be the movie’s title. The song on its own is one you’ll be singing long after you watch the movie. It was written by the late Adam Schlesinger and nominated for Best Song at the Oscars. The cast has a ton of faces you’ll recognize, Tom Everett Scott, Steve Zahn, Charlize Theron, and the luminous Liv Tyler. The band is so likeable it’s painful. So why didn’t this movie succeed at the box office? All the ingredients are there, including Mr. Hanks being at his peak popularity and it’s hard to find movies with more charm. But the 90s were more about cynicism than optimism, especially by the time 1998 rolled around. And Gen-X audiences of the time didn’t have that 60s nostalgia Hollywood assumed was there. If you love music, if you like a 60s vibe, if you just want to have something to make you smile, That Thing You Do! is the type of movie that will brighten your day.