Movies Like That Thing You Do! (1996)

That Thing You Do! is a 1996 comedy, drama, music, romance film from Tom Hanks with a MovieMagicScore of 6.9/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Ray and Artifact.

Comedy Drama Music Romance

Ray

2004

Born on a sharecropping plantation in Northern Florida, Ray Charles went blind at seven. Inspired by a fiercely independent mom who insisted he make his own way, He found his calling and his gift behind a piano keyboard. Touring across the Southern musical circuit, the soulful singer gained a reputation and then exploded with worldwide fame when he pioneered coupling gospel and country together.

7.4

MagicScore

Artifact

2012

Follow 30 Seconds to Mars as they record their latest album, This Is War, and their battle against record label EMI.

7.4

MagicScore

Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions

2020

An intimate concert film, in which Taylor Swift performs each song from her album 'folklore' in order, as she reveals the meaning and the stories behind all 17 tracks for the very first time.

8.5

MagicScore

The Five Heartbeats

1991

In the early 1960s, a quintet of hopeful, young African-American men form an amateur vocal group called The Five Heartbeats. After an initially rocky start, the group improves, turns pro, and rises to become a top flight music sensation. Along the way, however, the guys learn many hard lessons about the reality of the music industry.

7.3

MagicScore

A Song for Christmas

2017

Pop superstar Adelaide Kay is so fed up with her controlling manager that she sneaks off the tour bus after their latest squabble. Though exhilarated to be free, she finds herself stranded in the freezing cold of a Pennsylvania winter, with no money and no plan. A local family, the Lapps, take her in. They know the true meaning of the season, even if they’re close to losing their tree farm. No one in the family recognizes Adelaide except Dillon, the oldest son.

6.3

MagicScore

Love & Mercy

2015

In the late 1960s, the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson stops touring, produces "Pet Sounds" and begins to lose his grip on reality. By the 1980s, under the sway of a controlling therapist, he finds a savior in Melinda Ledbetter.

7.1

MagicScore

What's Love Got to Do with It

1993

Singer Tina Turner rises to stardom while mustering the courage to break free from her abusive husband Ike.

7.1

MagicScore

The Irishman

2019

Pennsylvania, 1956. Frank Sheeran, a war veteran of Irish origin who works as a truck driver, accidentally meets mobster Russell Bufalino. Once Frank becomes his trusted man, Bufalino sends him to Chicago with the task of helping Jimmy Hoffa, a powerful union leader related to organized crime, with whom Frank will maintain a close friendship for nearly twenty years.

7.6

MagicScore

Rocketman

2019

The story of Elton John's life, from his years as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music through his influential and enduring musical partnership with Bernie Taupin.

7.3

MagicScore

#10

Viva High School Musical: Mexico

2008

Football captain Cristóbal discovers that his neighbor and classmate, Mariana, has changed a lot over the summer. Meanwhile, Luli is still as vain as ever and overshadows her poor brother, Fernando. As a new year begins at High School Mexico (HSM, initially interpreted), the school has announced a "Battle of the Bands" contest hosted by Jesse & Joy. Working against the clock and with limited resources, Cristobal, Mariana, and a few of their peers unite as a band. In a desperate effort, Luli dares the impossible task of separating Cristobal from his friends. But only one band will be the winner; the one who understands that teamwork, personal development, and hard work will not only make them better artists but also better people.

6.4

MagicScore

#11

Bandslam

2009

A new kid in town assembles a fledgling rock band — together, they achieve their dreams and compete against the best in the biggest event of the year, a battle of the bands.

5.8

MagicScore

#12

Frank and Cindy

2015

G.J. Echternkamp tells the story of his relationship with his parents, his mother Cindy and his step-father, Frank. Frank used to be a member of OXO, a band from the '80s whose one hit wonder scored with the song "Whirly Girl". Cindy was the ultimate groupie who married Frank and thought life would be glamorous and award shows, but it's not how it turned out.

5.7

MagicScore

#13

High Fidelity

2000

After his long-time girlfriend dumps him, a thirty-year-old record store owner seeks to understand why he is unlucky in love while recounting his "top five breakups of all time".

7.1

MagicScore

#14

Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam

2010

Mitchie can't wait to go back to Camp Rock and spend the summer making new music with her friends and superstar Shane Gray. But the slick new camp across the lake, Camp Star, has drummed up some serious competition – featuring newcomers Luke and Dana. In a sensational battle of the bands, with Camp Rock's future at stake, will Camp Star's flashy production and over-the-top antics win out, or will Camp Rockers prove that music, teamwork, and spirit are what truly matter?

6.3

MagicScore

#15

Brown Sugar

2002

Sidney and Dre can attribute their lifelong friendship and the launch of their careers to one single childhood instant... witnessing the birth of hip-hop on a New York street corner. Now some 15 years later, she is a revered music critic at a national magazine and he is a successful, though unfulfilled, hip-hop record company executive. Both come to realize that their true life passions will only be fulfilled by remembering what they learned that day on the corner.

6.6

MagicScore

#16

The Harder They Come

1972

Ivanhoe Martin arrives in Kingston, Jamaica, looking for work and, after some initial struggles, lands a recording contract as a reggae singer. He records his first song, "The Harder They Come," but after a bitter dispute with a manipulative producer named Hilton, soon finds himself resorting to petty crime in order to pay the bills. He deals marijuana, kills some abusive cops and earns local folk hero status. Meanwhile, his record is topping the charts.

6.6

MagicScore

#17

Once

2007

A vacuum repairman moonlights as a street musician and hopes for his big break. One day a Czech immigrant, who earns a living selling flowers, approaches him with the news that she is also an aspiring singer-songwriter. The pair decide to collaborate, and the songs that they compose reflect the story of their blossoming love.

7.4

MagicScore

#18

It's All Gone Pete Tong

2004

A comedy following the tragic life of the legendary Frankie Wilde. The story takes us through Frankie's life from being one of the best DJs alive, through a subsequent battle with a hearing disorder, culminating in his mysterious disappearance from the scene.

6.5

MagicScore

#19

Control

2007

The story of Joy Division’s lead singer Ian Curtis, from his schoolboy days in 1973 to his suicide on the eve of the band's first American tour in 1980.

7.5

MagicScore

#20

Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis)

2023

In 1968, art students Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey “Po” Powell made a trippy photo collage for their musician friends Syd, David and Roger. The resulting album and album cover, A Saucerful of Secrets, helped launch two careers: that of Pink Floyd, one of the 70s megabands, and of Hipgnosis, which, over the course of the next 25 years, designed a stream of iconic album covers.

7.5

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like That Thing You Do!?

The top films similar to That Thing You Do! by MovieMagicScore are Ray (7.4), Artifact (7.4), Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions (8.5). Each shares comedy/drama/music/romance themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is That Thing You Do! worth watching?

That Thing You Do! holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.9/10 from 882 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is That Thing You Do!?

That Thing You Do! (1996) is a comedy, drama, music, romance film directed by Tom Hanks, starring Tom Hanks, Tom Everett Scott, Liv Tyler.

Where can I find more recommendations like That Thing You Do!?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more comedy recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Ray Movies like Artifact Movies like Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions Movies like The Five Heartbeats Movies like A Song for Christmas Movies like Love & Mercy

About movies like That Thing You Do!

This ranked list pairs That Thing You Do! (1996), a comedy and drama and music and romance film from Tom Hanks, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Tom Hanks take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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