That Thing You Do! (Tom Hanks' Extended Cut)
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
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It's the summer of 1964, and Guy Patterson is a salesman at his father's appliance store in Erie, PA. By day, he sells toasters and transistor radios. But at night, he retreats to the basement, sits down at a set of drums, and disappears into a cloud of jazz percussion. In other words, he's ready to roll when a local rock band loses its drummer and asks him to sit in at a college talent show. One month later, The Wonders are shooting stars in the Play-Tone galaxy--with a recording contract, a state fair tour and a trip to Hollywood. As their signature song, That Thing You Do!, rockets to the top of the charts, The Wonders embark on a humorous and surprising journey where they not only get a taste of fame, but an extraordinary look at the halcyon days of rock and roll.

Following a string of two Academy Awards and a third nomination with Philadelphia, Forrest Gum and Apollo 13, Tom Hanks was the king of Hollywood. Everything he touched seemed to either turn to gold of the award show variety or at the box office. As a change of pace, he took a break from the dramas to write, direct and give a supporting role in That Thing You Do!, a nostalgic look at the ripple effect Beatlemania had on the world in the 1960s.

The Wonders are a cute little boy band whose catchy first single brings them fame, fortune and a never-ending road trip. That Thing You Do! charts their harmless rise to fame and the issues that stem from it. This two-disc DVD contains two cuts of the film. The original runs under two hours and is harmless and enjoyable. And while the newly included director's cut does round out characters more, the 140-minute plus running time is too much considering there isn't a lot of real substance to begin with.

Video: How's it look?
The film looks great with its anamorphic widescreen (1.85:1 aspect ratio) transfer. The picture is clean and crisp without any major problems.

Audio: How's it sound?
The audio is in a pleasant Dolby 5.0 Surround English. It captures the catchy music nicely.

Extras: What additional goodies are included?

• Both the original and director's cuts of the film.
• "The Wonders! Big in Japan!" looks at the film's Japanese promotional tour. It includes cast interviews, anecdotals and home videos of their trip.
• "The Story of the Wonders" runs about 30 minutes and documents how the characters of the films might have thought if they were real.
• "Making That Thing You Do!" is your standard behind-the-scenes piece.
• "That Thing You Do! Reunion" brings several of the film's stars back together including Charlize Theron, Steve Zahn, Tom Everett Scott and Johnathon Schaech.
• "HBO's First Look -- The Making of That Thing You Do!" covers a lot of the same behind-the-scenes stuff also shown on the disc, on this time it's put together in a slightly more user friendly, yet promotional, tone.
• "Feel Alright" music video.
• Three theatrical trailers and a TV spot.
• Four-page production booklet.
• English and Spanish subtitles.
• For a little extra fun, try changing the menu speed with the RPM dial at the bottom of the first disc's main menu.

Closing Thoughts
That Thing You Do! is an undeniably delightful film. It makes you smile and want to dance, and (for better or worse) it's titular theme song won't leave your head for days. This two-disc DVD is filled with lots of great stuff, although the selling point -- the director's cut -- is a case of too much of a good thing.


Review brought to you by our friend Ryan @ Movie-Views.com