Plot
In 1964, Guy Patterson (Tom Everett Scott) is a jazz drummer who works at his family's Erie, Pennsylvania appliance store. Jimmy Mattingly (Johnathon Schaech) and Lenny Haise (Steve Zahn) ask Guy to sit in with their band at the annual Mercyhurst College talent show, because their regular drummer (Giovanni Ribisi) has broken his arm. The group rehearses a ballad titled "That Thing You Do". Jimmy's girlfriend, Faye Dolan (Liv Tyler), is inspired by Guy's performance at rehearsal, and suggests that the group call themselves "The Oneders" (pronounced "one-ders"; a running gag involves various people mispronouncing it as "oh-need-ers").
At the talent show, Guy launches into a faster tempo for "That Thing You Do" than in rehearsal and the audience goes wild for the song. Jimmy scolds Guy for playing "too fast", but Lenny heartily approves of the change. The Oneders win the $100 top prize and obtain their first paying gig at a local pizza parlor. With the help of Guy's Uncle Bob (Chris Isaak), they begin selling a single of "That Thing You Do", which attracts the attention of local manager Phil Horace (Chris Ellis). Horace signs them to bigger gigs and arranges local airplay of the single, increasing the band's appeal. At a Pittsburgh gig, record company A&R representative Mr. White (Hanks) offers the band a development contract with Play-Tone Records. The boys sign the contract, and White changes their band name to "The Wonders" to avoid further confusion.
The Wonders and "costume mistress" Faye tour state fairs across the Midwest during the summer with other Play-Tone artists, during which Guy and Faye grow closer. "That Thing You Do" enters and climbs the Billboard Top 100. The Wonders go from being the opening act to the feature attraction, and throngs of teenage girls mob the band. When "That Thing You Do" enters the Top 10, Play-Tone sends the band to Hollywood to meet Sol Siler (Alex Rocco), the label's founder. On the flight, Faye comes down with a mild case of flu and only Guy seems solicitous of her comfort.
The Wonders appear in a low-budget beach movie. This and Siler's apparent disdain for the band disillusions Jimmy, whose lack of interest in anything that does not advance his recording career causes friction with White and with the other band members. The bass player, who had planned to join the Marines at the end of summer, leaves the band with a group of Marines he met at their hotel and never returns. White brings in an experienced studio bassist to join The Wonders for a live performance on a prestigious national television variety show.
During the broadcast, the caption "Careful girls, he's engaged!" is superimposed beneath Jimmy's closeup. Jimmy is visibly upset by this, and disrupts the Wonders' post-broadcast celebration by demanding to know who suggested that he and Faye are engaged. Jimmy tells Faye that he does not intend to marry her in front of the band, White, and Lenny's girlfriend. Faye ends their relationship. The others quickly exit, and Guy condemns Jimmy for his treatment of Faye.
Lenny is absent from the next day's recording session. White prepares to find another studio musician to fill in, but Jimmy resists White's plan to cover songs from the Play-Tone catalog instead of Jimmy's original ballads. White explains that their Play-Tone contract specifies the content of the album: one original song per side, with the balance consisting of corporate-owned material, but the original songs must be "snappy", not ballads. Jimmy quits the band and storms out of the studio. White tells Guy that The Wonders are in breach of contract, a "very common tale" he has seen reenacted with countless bands. White reassures Guy, but tells him that The Wonders will have to vacate their hotel that afternoon.
Guy is bolstered when his idol, jazz pianist Del Paxton (Bill Cobbs), who overheard Guy's impromptu drum solo, suggests that they record a duet. Guy later tells Faye that Del thinks he has potential as a studio musician. Faye tells Guy she plans on returning to Erie, and Guy finally takes the opportunity to declare his feelings for her.
Captions preceding the credits detail the subsequent lives of the band members. Guy and Faye marry, raise four children and start a music conservatory where Guy teaches jazz composition. Jimmy records three gold albums with a new band on the Play-Tone label and becomes a successful record producer. Lenny manages a casino in Laughlin, Nevada. The unnamed bass player (another running gag, the character is never addressed by name and is credited as "T.B. Player") is awarded the Purple Heart for wounds sustained at Khe Sanh and becomes a building contractor.
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