That Thing You Do!

In the summer of 1964, in Erie, Pennsylvania, aspiring jazz drummer Guy Patterson is asked by his friends Jimmy Mattingly and Lenny Haise to sit in with their band at an annual talent show after their regular drummer Chad breaks his arm trying to jump over a parking meter. The band adopts the name "The Oneders" (pronounced "wonders", but often mispronounced "oh-NEE-ders") because of Jimmy's predilection for misspelled names. At the talent show, Guy launches into a faster tempo than intended for Jimmy's ballad, "That Thing You Do" to Jimmy's initial dismay – but they win the talent show. The Oneders' performance at the talent show earns them a paying gig at a local restaurant, after which they make a recording of "That Thing You Do" and Guy's uncle, a church music producer, presses it into 45 rpm records they sell at their gigs. They are noticed by talent promoter Phil Horace, who promises to get their record played on the radio; they sign with him as their manager. Guy's shallow hometown girlfriend, Tina, had shown no interest in the band and its rising success while falling for her handsome dentist, ending her relationship with Guy.