- Creative director Tom Burns may be at the top of his game, but he's still considered a dinosaur for being over forty in the youthful, trendy business of advertising. In a moment of desperation, he hires young con-artist Dick Sweeney to be his stand-in at an ad agency while Tom does all of the hard work behind the scenes. The scheme works until Tom falls for Dick's co-worker Harriet Foster, forcing Tom and Dick to make a choice between love and getting a paycheck in this comedy about ageism in the work place.—Anonymous
- Despite recent success and a history of excellence in the business, fifty year old divorced Tom Burns is considered obsolete as a Madison Avenue ad man. When the company where he has long worked, CG&O, is sold to competing ad company Rage, led by megalomaniac and image obsessed Reese Danzinger, Tom is not hired in the merged company, and due to his age is unable to find another job, as those in the business see advertising as a job for edgy twenty-somethings. He believes he can't open his own agency without an existing client. He feels even more in a bind when he cannot turn away his violin virtuoso daughter, Kelly Burns, who has unexpectedly come to live with him, her several thousand dollar school tuition which is soon due and which he previously told her he would cover. Tom is an overprotective father who won't let Kelly make her own decisions in life. Tom comes up with an idea to get out of his predicament when he runs into a twenty-something named Dick Varnett, a nickel and dime con man who previously conned Tom out of twenty bucks: Dick will be his front at Rage, Tom the creative brains behind Dick. Dick agrees to the scheme as this "job" will probably be more lucrative than all his other cons combined. Beyond the obvious logistical issues in carrying out the scheme successfully, complications ensue when Tom and Dick both fall for one of Rage's art directors, Harriet Fellows, who in turn falls for Dick's entire package, not realizing that his creative brain truly belongs to Tom. A further issue with Harriet is that she is relationship-shy, being burned in her last serious relationship where her then fiancé lied to her.—Huggo
- Tom Burns (Stephen Weber) wins another Cleo award for the best 30 second advertising spot. After receiving continuous kudos at the office, the owner of CG&O Advertising calls a meeting in the boardroom. He announces his retirement and that his firm has been sold to competing ad company Rage, led by megalomaniac and image obsessed Reese Danzinger (Michael Eklund). Tom goes to the facility at Rage and meets Harriot Fellows (Michelle Harrison) in an office space without offices and doors. When Tom meets his new boss Danzinger, he finds that he is obsessed with attitude he tells Tommy is obsolete. He is unceremoniously released.
Tom meets with an employment agency who tells him he is highly qualified, but too old for Madison Avenue. Tom meets Dick Varnett (Andrew Francis) on the street who has a pregnant, hearing-challenged wife and is trying to beg for bus fare to get back to Iowa for a job. Through a series of phone calls, Tom discovers he has no job ready situation and many lost or out of date contacts in the field.
Tom's daughter Kelly (MacKenzie Porter) calls from the street. Once inside she tells Tom that she has been accepted by the Metropolitan Conservatory as a violinist. She asks and Tom allows her to stay with him for the first term. When she asked for a $15,000 tuition payment, Tom swallows hard and promises to have it to her by next week.
Later at a diner, Tom runs in to Dick and his girlfriend and discovers he was hustled. Dick's girlfriend leaves Dick for job and new life. Tom leaves the diner but comes back and says he needs an avatar and employs grifter Dick in a scheme to get a job. Dick will be his front at Rage. Tom will be the creative brains behind Dick. Dick agrees to the scheme as this "job" will probably be more lucrative than all his other cons combined. The next day he explains the Rage management to Dick and prepares some ad demos for him to show. Tom coaches Dick through the job interview and he secures a job. Harrison notice Dick in the office, but confides in her coworker Liz that her life plan does not to include a man in her life now. Harriet is relationship-shy, being burned in her last serious relationship where her then fiancé lied to her. Harriet is introduced to Dick and gets access to his demo reel. Dick is assigned to the Cool Heat campaign which Tom writes from home and gets praise from the boss.
At a staff meeting, Reese announce he wants ideas for a new electric car produced by Future Vehicles Technology. Dick makes up a statistic to get lead on the account and request Harriet to be his art director. Future Vehicles Technology sets up a launch party for the press. Dick calls Tom to rush the ad copy that Danzinger wants to tease to client at that night's party. Tom tells Dick he must memorize the car specs. Head art director Derek (Hamza Adam) is wary of Dick's inexperience for such a large account and monitors his activities closely to the point of following him into the bathroom.
Tom is an overprotective father who won't let Kelly make her own decisions in life. Tom criticizes Kelly's tattoo so she complains he bosses her around in his condescending way. Tom develops work for the meeting with Owen Bickford (Aaron Pearl) in time but has difficulty sending it over the Internet. He rushes it into Rage just as it is called for. Harriet and Dick take it up to Danzinger. Immediately, he approves. Danzinger teases the ad copy to Bickford for his new electric car. Bickford is impressed and the sale is pending. Tom flirts with Harriet until she is called away to meet the client.
The next morning Liz (Ali Liebert) tells Harriet that she got additional plastic surgery in the posterior. Dick is in Reese's office when Derek rushes in and claims that Dick's resume is a fraud. Dick admits this is true but Danzinger is so impressed with his work and Bickford wants to do a Super Bowl ad and move the campaign forward with Dick. After a night of homework with Tom, Dick completes the sales to Bickford for the new electric car. He proposes a celebratory dinner with Harriet and picks her up in a motorcycle after she is pretties herself up. Dick takes Harriet to a rock concert and then they got for cappuccino. After their disjointed conversation, Harriet concludes that Dick doesn't seem capable of writing the advertising copy that he is producing.
Dick is at Tom's house when Danzinger calls and insists Dick join he and Bickford for a late dinner. Dick gives Tom the tickets he was going to share with Harriet and has Tom meet her. Dick sees photos in Tom's house and is intrigued by Tom daughter Kelly. Kelly come home from her night out when she can't get past the bouncer at a club and meets Dick.
Tom and Harriet leave the DJ concert early and have a nice evening in the café discovering much in common, Dick leaves is dinner early and doubles back to pick up Kelly and takes her to the Public Domain. Both couples agreed to have dinner the following night. Tom takes Harriet to a Russian restaurant in shows off his knowledge of all things Russian. Dick meets Kelly at his apartment and shows off his cooking skills. At the end of Tom's date, he runs an idea for the ad campaign for the electric car that Dick had previously mentioned to her as his own work. Harriet thinks Tom is lying and shut the door on him. Tom goes to Dick's apartment and tells him the lying has to stop. Kelly overhears the conversation. After they send Tom home, Dick explains to Kelly that he is a con man who represents the work his father does because Tom is too old to get a job.
The next morning, Dick arranges a meeting at Rage with Danzinger and Bickford and brings Tom in. He confesses to the group that he is just a front man and that Tom organized and wrote the entire campaign. Danzinger fires Dick immediately and pushes Tom out of the office. Bickford, however, wants Tom to continue on with the campaign. Danzinger sprints down the stairs to hire Tom back to Rage. Tom declines wanting to keep his self-respect. Bickford chooses to work with Tom in his own agency. Tom seeks out Harriet but she is still upset she was a victim of Tom and Dick's con.
Later Tom and Dick are talking on the street. Dick has been accepted into the Culinary Institute of America but will be flipping burgers until the semester starts. At home, Tom and his daughter reach a new understanding that she is a forthright young person and can make her own decisions. Kelly and Tom get tattoos. Kelly seeks out Dick working at the cafe. Tom creates a window ad to apologize to Harriet. He gives her a business card and asks her to be his partner. She makes him promise to always be honest. They walk towards Rage so that Harriet can resign.
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