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

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…