DVD Review:

That Thing You Do: Directors Cut

Movie

That Thing You Do is one of those movies that just brings a smile to your face. In fact this is one of my all time favourite movies. The movie recounts a tale of a pop rock band immediately after the Beatles took America by storm in early 1964. Guy Patterson works at his parents appliance store and is recruited into the band “The Oneders” (later renamed the Wonders) after the regular drummer breaks his arm. When they enter a talent competition Guy speeds up Jimmy’s ballad which ends up creating a huge hit for the band. After soaring to the top how long will they be able to stay there? This movie is credited as Tom Hanks directing debut. He also wrote the script and he stars in it as well. One really cool thing about this edition is that there is the original theatrical cut and a new extended directors cut. I watched the directors cut and there is a lot that has been added. Personally I don’t think it adds too much to the film since I liked the original. But you do get more scenes with Guy and it does give a little more depth to the characters. To see the real benefit I am going to have to sit down and watch the original to compare the differences. Personally I love the songs and the atmosphere in this movie. I like the songs so much I even have the soundtrack. Trust me if you’re looking for a movie to sit around with the family this should be it. It is fun from the beginning to the end.

9.5 Out of 10

Video

The transfer on this film looks good. But I did not see the original DVD, so I have nothing to compare it to. It has well saturated colours and solid blacks. The sharpness tends to be a little on the soft side, but it does not detract from what overall is a decent picture. It’s not the best transfer you will see but it’s not far away from the top.

8 out 10

Audio

The sound in this film is great. You get all those great 60’s inspired tunes pumping out of your speakers. I felt that whenever a song was being played that they made it sound like you were actually at the concert. The rears are not used a lot mostly just for crowd effects. Dialogue was clear. I thought it sounded just right for the material. Just as an FYI the audio is Dolby Digital 5.0.

8.5 Out of 10

Extras

Since this is a 2 disc edition the first disc just has the movie on it and a commentary by the principal cast members.. The second disc was devoted to extras. My favourite extras included “Making That Thing You Do” and also the “That Thing You Do Reunion”. I also liked the story of the Wonders. But I still wish there was more here. A lot of the content tended to repeat.

7 out of 10

Overall

I may be a little biased when it comes to this movie, since I love it so much. As a DVD it’s decent but not great, but in my opinion the movie more than makes up for what the disc lacks in special features. This movie is a breath of fresh air compared to a lot of projects that come out of Hollywood these days. I definitely recommend it, and it definitely deserves a spot on your DVD shelf.

8.5 Out of 10