That Thing You Do!

That Thing You Do!
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTom Hanks
Written byTom Hanks
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyTak Fujimoto
Edited byRichard Chew
Music byHoward Shore
Production
companies
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release date
  • October 4, 1996 (1996-10-04)
Running time
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$26 million
Box office$34.6 million[1]

That Thing You Do! is a 1996 American musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Tom Hanks, in his feature writing and directorial debut. Set in 1960s rock and roll culture, it chronicles the rise and fall of a fictional one-hit wonder pop band and stars Tom Everett Scott in his film debut along with Johnathon Schaech, Steve Zahn, and Ethan Embry as the band's members, with Liv Tyler and Hanks appearing in supporting roles. Its production and music are key to its narrative, with original scores by a collaboration of artists including Hanks, Adam Schlesinger, and Howard Shore. The soundtrack peaked at #21 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, featuring a mix of diegetic and non-diegetic tracks. The cast practiced for weeks to perform convincingly on camera, blurring the lines between reality and fiction.

Despite being well-received by critics, receiving several accolades, and producing a musical hit with the titular song of the same title, which was nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song,[2] the film was a commercial disappointment, grossing $34.6 million against a $26 million budget.

  1. ^ "That Thing You Do! (1996)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved November 18, 2023.
  2. ^ Hughes, Hilary (April 1, 2020). "With 'That Thing You Do!,' Adam Schlesinger Wrote One of the Best 'Fake' Songs in Film History". Billboard.