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‘Vicarious wish-fulfillment’: why That Thing You Do! is my feelgood movie

The Guardian UK Monday 26 October 2026, 09:00 UTC By Stephen Snart 1 min read
Key Points

The latest in our ongoing series of writers explaining their most rewatched comfort films is a journey back to the 90s for Tom Hanks’ heartfelt 60s-set music comedy“How did we get here?” That’s the question Steve Zahn’s character in That Thing You Do! asks his bandmate with bemusement right before they perform on live television. It’s a moment I have thought of many times over the past 30 years.

The latest in our ongoing series of writers explaining their most rewatched comfort films is a journey back to the 90s for Tom Hanks’ heartfelt 60s-set music comedy

“How did we get here?” That’s the question Steve Zahn’s character in That Thing You Do! asks his bandmate with bemusement right before they perform on live television.

It’s a moment I have thought of many times over the past 30 years. Sometimes, it’s been a moment I’ve aspired to, and sometimes it’s a moment I’ve felt myself. When the band hears their song on the radio for the first time, it’s one of the most ebullient moments I’ve ever seen on film. There is a euphoria that is recognizable for anyone who has ever felt the joy of a creative accomplishment – and isn’t that all of us, in one way or another? That’s what makes That Thing You Do! my feelgood movie.

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Tom Hanks’ (PERSON) Steve Zahn (PERSON)
Originally published by The Guardian UK Read original →

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