Instant Fame, Admiration Look Wonders-ful in ‘That Thing’

“That Thing You Do!” is the latest reason teens might start begging Mom and Dad for a used guitar and permission to turn the garage into a makeshift sound stage.

Several boys, and a few girls, who saw Tom Hanks’ smiley-faced ode to the popular-music machine in the mid-’60s were inspired. The Wonders, a mediocre band of youngsters whose one snappy tune becomes a national phenomenon, had the kind of fun most kids dream about.

Ross Abril, 15, of Costa Mesa looked wistful as he dwelt on the touring, the adoring girls, the money, the adoring girls, the cool clothes and the adoring girls.

“When it got good” for the band, he said, “everything just came to them . . . like the girls screaming” at their concerts.

Never mind that “That Thing You Do!” eventually makes the point that fame can be short-lived and comes with a price. Ross didn’t linger on what happens to the Wonders at the movie’s end; he fantasized on the success along the way, as did his brother, Tony, 13.

Being a star, Tony explained, would be “awesome,” mainly because everyone would get the chance to idolize you. Apparently, the music-making came second to finding a nice spot high on the pedestal.

“They [the band members] were real happy when they became famous,” he pointed out.

A more expansive view was offered by 16-year-old Robert Smith of Irvine. He thought it was interesting how a musician could have such a great impact on people in such a short time. It was true then and it’s true today, he noted.

“They become heroes real quick,” Robert said. “I don’t play guitar or anything, but I should learn.”

When asked how the idealized world of the Wonders compares with what’s going on today--especially when considering the deaths of Tupac Shakur, Kurt Cobain and others--Robert had to reflect awhile. Finally, he suggested that the movie wasn’t realistic enough in showing the hardships and temptations that can come with fame.

“I bet they had drugs then too,” Robert decided.

Cynthia Peters, 14, of Santa Ana said she went to the movie because of her interest in music. She plays acoustic guitar a little and would like to form a band some day.

What she liked best about “That Thing You Do!” was its energy and good humor. The actors who play the Wonders are a fairly frenetic lot, and Hanks tends to keep pace in his role as their aggressive, self-serving manager, elements Cynthia felt helped hold the film together.

“It went by fast [because of] how things kept happening to the Wonders,” she said. “I didn’t get bored.”

Were any of the Wonders especially hot? “Oh yeah. The drummer was really cute.”

Though kids may have liked just about all of the movie, at least one parent had a big complaint.

Sally Peters, Cynthia’s mom, took her daughter and a couple of her friends to a screening and found herself growing annoyed by the repeated use of the movie’s title song, a Dave Clark Five sound-alike.

“The first few times, it was kind of catchy,” Peters said. “But after the fifth or sixth time, it was like, ‘OK, you can stop now!’ ”

* CHILDREN’S LISTINGS, FXX