Tom, Dick and Harriet (2013) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

An aging but still sharp advertising veteran, Tom is obsessed with staying relevant in a fast-changing industry. He is a protective, sometimes condescending father who wants to control his daughter’s choices. Forced into Rage’s cutthroat system, he must confront his own arrogance and the lure of easy success. By choosing honesty over ego, he risks everything to rebuild his career on a more principled footing.

• 🎬 Veteran
• 🧭 Morality
• 👨‍👧 Father
• 💼 Career

A megalomaniacal advertising boss who runs Rage with an attitude-driven ruthless streak. He uses Tom and Dick’s arrangement as a strategic front to execute bold but ethically dubious campaigns. Power and image are his currency, and he will sacrifice relationships to win clients. His confrontations reveal the cost of ambition when integrity is sidelined.

• 💼 Boss
• 🧠 Charisma
• 🕶️ Power
• 🔄 Manipulation

Relationship-shy and wary after a past heartbreak, Harriet is smart and capable, serving as the campaign’s art director. She forms a complicated bond with both Dick and Tom, testing her boundaries and professional loyalty. Over the course of the story she learns to trust again and demands honesty in both work and romance. By the end, she envisions a partnership built on mutual respect.

• 🎭 Romance
• 🔍 Boundaries
• 🤝 Trust
• 🏢 Career

A charming con man who poses as a front for Rage, Dick is smart, improvisational, and willing to bend the truth for a big payoff. His resume fabrications and risk-taking push the ad campaign forward, even as cracks begin to show. He proves to be talented but ethically flexible, threatening both his allies and his own future. The relationship with Tom and Harriet tests his ability to grow beyond deception.

• 🎭 Trickery
• 💡 Talent
• 🔥 Risk
• 💼 Ambition

Tom’s daughter, a talented violinist whose acceptance by the Metropolitan Conservatory marks a new chapter. She challenges her father’s overprotectiveness as he learns to give her space and trust her choices. Her resilience and independence steer Tom toward a more honest and collaborative dynamic. Their evolving relationship becomes the emotional core of the film.

• 🎻 Music
• 🧭 Independence
• 👨‍👧 Family
• 🎓 Education

A driven member of the creative team who reveals the vanity and insecurities present in the office. Her comment about personal transformation hints at the vanity-driven culture of the industry. She works alongside Harriet and Dick, contributing to the campaigns while navigating office politics. Her actions illustrate the pressures women face in high-stakes advertising environments.

• 💄 Beauty
• 🎯 Ambition
• 🤝 Professional

Head art director assigned to the Future Vehicles Technology campaign; he’s cautious about Dick's inexperience yet supportive of the team. He monitors the creative process closely, balancing mentorship with skepticism. Derek’s measured approach anchors the campaign’s artistic direction amid mounting tensions.

• 🧭 Mentorship
• 🎨 Creative
• 🚦 Caution

A key client executive for Future Vehicles Technology who sets the terms of the campaign’s potential success. He represents the gatekeeper who can either push the project forward or pull the plug depending on the pitch. His reactions drive the urgency of the creative team’s efforts and reveal the commercial stakes behind the drama.

• 💼 Client
• 🎯 Campaign

Tom and Dick’s arrangement to use Dick as a front man for Rage highlights how ambition can drive people to blur truth. The scheme exposes vulnerabilities in both characters, showing how easy it is to manipulate others when talent meets opportunity. The film uses this deception to probe the ethics of advertising and the price of success. As the truth unfolds, characters must decide whether personal pride outweighs professional integrity.

A central thread is the demand for honesty in both work and love. Harriet insists on transparency, and Tom promises to become a more honest partner in business and life. The eventual unraveling of Dick’s scheme hinges on trust and the willingness to own up to mistakes. The finale suggests genuine collaboration—built on honesty—can outlast flashy deception.

Tom’s relationship with his daughter Kelly drives much of the plot and his decisions. He struggles to let her chart her own path, even as he fears losing her to the professional world. Their evolving bond culminates in mutual respect and a shared willingness to adapt. The arc uses family dynamics to ground the satire in human stakes.

The film critiques campaign tactics that prioritize sensationalism over truth. It contrasts high-gloss demos and clever copy with the real consequences for audiences and brands. Through Tom and Dick’s manipulations, it questions whether creativity justifies deception. In the end, ethical advertising wins when honesty and responsibility guide decisions.