Factual error: When The Oneders are recording their song with Uncle Bob, there is an In-N-Out cup sitting by the recording equipment. There are no In-N-Out restaurants in PA.
That Thing You Do (1996)
Ending / spoiler
Directed by: Tom Hanks
Starring: Tom Hanks, Steve Zahn, Liv Tyler, Ethan Embry, Johnathon Schaech, Tom Everett Scott
The Wonders split up. Guy and Del Paxton jam together. Guy and Faye (Liv Tyler) get together. Years later, The Bass Player goes to Vietnam and is awarded with a Purple Heart. Lenny becomes manager of a hotel and a casino. Jimmy and his new band (The Herdsmen) become a smash hit for Play Tone Records. Guy and Faye have kids and he becomes a music composition teacher.
A.J.
Lenny Haise: Here's the thing, we're not "The Wonders" right now, we're "Cap'n Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters."
Trivia: Throughout the entire movie, no one ever says the bass player's name. Even in the credits, he is listed as T.B. Player and The Bass Player.
Question: Are the characters in this movie based on actual people? Is it a true story or a fictional story that was entirely possible?
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Answer: The movie was written by Tom Hanks and some what reflects the music industry during that time period. It is not about a real band, but shows how a lot of bands were treated at the time and how quickly you can rise and how you can fall even faster.
Bruce Minnick