Movie Review: Tom Hanks does multiple jobs in ‘That Thing You Do!’

Courtesy of a music group named The Wonders, which didn’t actually exist, the fans of “That Thing You Do!” are many as it nears its 30th anniversary.

Written by co-star Tom Hanks, who also made his directing debut on the film, the 1996 musical-comedy — currently streaming on Hulu — charts the rapid rise and equally fast fall of a small-town 1960s band that hits it big after the suddenly necessary replacement of its drummer, played by Tom Everett Scott. He sets a new beat for the group, literally, and their locally popular single (which shares the movie’s title) zooms up the charts as a result.

That’s thanks to a savvy talent agent (Hanks) who steers The Wonders on a path that many actual music acts of the era followed ... appearing in a concert tour, in a “Beach Party”-type movie, and on an “Ed Sullivan Show”-type variety series. Hanks clearly has a deep affinity for that era, since all of those events are depicted with loving authenticity that’s warmly nostalgic at the same time it’s knowingly amusing.

The other Wonders are represented superbly by the rest of the main cast: Steve Zahn as the wry guitar player who maintains a healthy skepticism about what’s happening to all of them; Ethan Embry as the naive bass player who’s happy to go along simply for wherever the ride takes them; and Johnathon Schaech as the moody, hyper-serious songwriter and singer and guitarist. Liv Tyler is charming as the latter’s girlfriend, who travels with the band as the members’ “wardrobe mistress,” though she’s principally their prime cheerleader.