MY MOVIE SHELF: That Thing You Do!

The Task: Watch and write about every movie on my shelf, in order (Blu-rays are sorted after DVDs), by June 10, 2015.  Remaining movies: 157  Days to go: 113

Movie #281:  That Thing You Do!

How do you make a movie about the rise and fall of a fictional band and their fictional one-hit wonder? First, you have to write a hit pop song, which, regardless of how you may or may not feel about the landscape of popular music in this country, is not an easy thing to do. It gave me a whole new appreciation for Tom Hanks.

The title song, the hit song by our rising stars, has to be heard over and over (and over) (and over), so it has to be palatable. The flip side of that, though, is that it has to be catchy. It has to be an earworm. It has to be able to stick in your head for hours and days and weeks on end and not get old. It needs clever, winking lyrics. I needs a good beat. And for the purposes of the story, it also needs to read as a potentially slow, sad song of heartbreak. That’s an incredibly tough order to fill, and yet “That Thing You Do!” (the song) hits every mark exactly. Just in writing this piece, I’ve listened to the chorus on a continuous loop for the past however long after watching while the DVD hangs out on the menu screen. It’s completely infectious, but in a good way, and I have yet to get tired or sick of it.

The song isn’t the whole of it, though. The story also has to work. If you’ve watched enough Behind The Music , you know the basic makeup of a band that won’t go the distance: there’s at least one band member who doesn’t take it all that seriously (perhaps because he’s too busy partying), one that maybe takes it way too seriously, and, for added drama, perhaps one who wasn’t an original member but is nonetheless instrumental in the band’s newfound success. In short, that band looks a lot like the Oneders (pronounced oh-NEE-durz — “Hey! That’s oh-NED-urz.”).

Jimmy (Johnathon Schaech) is the lead singer, who is all about his “art” and his “principles.” (“Oh there he goes off to his room to write that hit song ‘Alone in My Principles.'”) His girlfriend Faye (Liv Tyler) is sweet and supportive and way too good for such a d-bag. Lenny (National Treasure Steve Zahn), meanwhile, is a fun-loving guitarist who just wants to be famous and meet girls. And he gets every single laugh-out-loud joke in the film. The bass player (Ethan Embry) is a nice guy and all, but he’s not going to be in a band the rest of his life. He joined the Marines before they even got famous, and is due to ship out at the end of August. And Guy Patterson (Tom Everett Scott) is our hero the drummer, filling in for regular guy Chad (Giovanni Ribisi) after Chad breaks his arm in a tragic parking meter jumping accident. Guy’s the guy who loves music, loves to play music, and has a real feel for music. He’s the one who turned “That Thing You Do” from a slow, somber, whining Jimmy special to a bona fide dance hit. He’s the one who made them stars.

It’s a meteoric rise for the band — thankfully renamed the Wonders (“As in, I wonder what ever happened to the Oneders.”) after Playtone Music executive Mr. White (Tom Hanks) gets a hold of them — that starts with a manager “in a really nice camper” and the dream of one day playing in Stuebenville (I’ve been to Steubenville, by the way. Nobody dreams of there.), to flying out to California for a TV spot and a small movie appearance. Can the band withstand the drastic change in their status? Turns out, no they can not. Tensions break when some TV guy indicates that Jimmy and Faye are engaged, Jimmy blows up, Faye dumps him, and then Jimmy quits the group with a snappy song I always sing in my head any time I’ve had enough.

It sounds like a sad end, but all is not lost for our pal Guy. Despite losing his girlfriend Tina (Charlize Theron) to her dentist when the guys first go on tour, he realizes there’s someone better right under his nose. He finds out the last time Faye was good and kissed was 1961 and he rectifies that oversight post-haste. The closing title cards indicate the two were married on April 30, 1965. Who needs a flash in the pan, when everlasting contentment is at hand?

MY MOVIE SHELF: Empire Records

The Task: Watch and write about every movie on my shelf, in order (Blu-rays are sorted after DVDs), by June 10, 2015.  Remaining movies: 280  Days to go: 272

Movie #97: Empire Records

“Well Sinead O’Rebellion! Shock me, shock me, shock me with your deviant behavior!”

The first time I saw Empire Records, and Joe (Anthony LaPaglia) opened the store with Mark (Ethan Embry) right behind him, answering the phone, “Empire Records, open ’til midnight,” I told my friend that very moment that the number of people who call and ask when the store closes was probably astronomical. When Mark is later overwhelmed at the register, the rest of the staff busy participating in Deb’s (Robin Tunney) fake funeral, he answers the phone with that same required spiel only to respond with bewilderment and frustration to the unheard caller, “Midnight!” Never set up a dumb customer joke in the first act without paying it off in the third.

Empire Records is not the kind of movie that holds up to much scrutiny or analysis, so it’s best to just enjoy the spectacular ride of Rex Manning Day and all it has to offer. Oh, did I not mention? It’s Rex Manning Day! “Say no more, Mon Amour. Lips are for kissing, baby, je t’adore.”

Rex Manning (Maxwell Caufield) is a washed-up former heartthrob on a comeback tour of record store signings, and his manager Jane (Debi Mazar) has booked him at the illustrious Empire Records (established 1959). Corey (Liv Tyler) has had a crush on Manning since infancy and now she plans to lose her virginity to him (always a sound plan — “Oh, Rexy! You’re so sexy!”). But it’s a day of upheaval in the Empire universe, as the Man wants to turn them into a MusicTown chain. (“Welcome to MusicTown. May I service you?”) Meanwhile, Lucas (Rory Cochrane) stole $9000, A.J. (Johnny Whitworth) is in love with Corey and plans to tell her at 1:37PM, , Deb and Berko (Coyote Shivers) had a fight that ended in Deb feeling shitty and invisible again so she cut herself with a Lady Bic and shaved off all her hair. Gina (Renee Zellweger) steals Corey’s Rex Manning thunder in the count-out room and wants to be a singer in a band. Mark listens to horrible music, eats Eddie’s (James Wills) special recipe brownies and wants to start a band called Marc. And angry “Little Bastard” Warren (not his real name), played by Brendan Sexton III, shoplifts CDs and waves a gun around in order to get a cool job at a record store. It’s a lot to take in. “What’s with today, today?”

The interactions between the cast, however, are phenomenal and funny, and the dialogue is great. It’s infinitely quotable, with a soundtrack that, unsurprisingly, seamlessly meshes with the action and events of the day. And it also, in a kind of absolutely brilliant way, is the most accepting and affirming look at adolescence. Yes, there’s a bit of rivalry and spitefulness among Deb, Gina and Corey, but it works itself out over their mutual realizations that they’re all messed up in their own ways, and that they have common fears and common goals and common enemies. Yes, Lucas gambled away $9000 of the store’s money, but he’s Joe’s family — if not by blood, then by bond — and Joe can’t just discard him. Yes, Warren is acting out in hostile and aggressive ways, but they accept him as a person. And when Joe tries to talk to Deb about her problems, it’s not a twee moment. She asks him, “You gonna fix me Joe?” He takes a moment and tells her she’s doing a great job, which is exactly the kind of thing she needs to hear — nothing patronizing or smarmy, but appreciative and respectful. He lets her know her worth, as an employee, sure, but also, in that one statement, as a person. “I guess nobody really has it all together, huh?”

The day ends with an impromptu concert and fundraising drive that maybe solves all the outstanding issues a little too easily, but that doesn’t make it any less satisfying. “Damn the Man. Save the Empire.”

Empire Records may not be perfect (“Well, not entirely perfect.”), but it’s one of those movies that brings people together. It connects us through witty lines and common feelings and experiences. It’s about people who aren’t related but are family anyway, and how they come together to support one another even when there’s friction between them. For people feeling out-of-place and set adrift — as many adolescents do, kind of in general, as a defining aspect of adolescence — Empire Records offers a community of sorts — one of individuality and acceptance. “I don’t feel that I need to explain my art to you, Warren.”

And honestly (“Always play with their minds.”), it’s a hell of a lot of fun to watch.

“Just another tasty treat from the gang at Empire Records.”