By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 3.5 cats
Director: John Walsh
Starring: Guinevere Turner | Martin Donovan | Mary Louise Parker | Rebecca Gayheart
Country: united_states
Year: 2003
Running time: 91
IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0164810
Michael says: “Last night Scot and I watched a sweet little independent film on DVD. I had read about this film as far as a couple years back, and I was looking forward to it with great anticipation because it starred an old favorite from the Hal Hartley films, Martin Donovan. It also starred Mary Louise Parker, who I always enjoy in films. Unfortunately, the film was never released in Boston, and last week was released on DVD.
“PIPE DREAM is a funny and heart-warming romantic comedy set in New York City. David (Donovan) is a plumber, who after spending a night in the company of his neighbor Toni (Parker) an aspiring screenwriter, overhears her on the phone discussing him as being not the right type of guy for a relationship because he’s a plumber. When visiting a friend who happens to be a casting director at an audition, David notices the looks of admiration and desire received by a director. He concludes that it’s all a matter of perception, and convinces his casting director friend to set up a casting call where David will pretend to be the director so he can find a date. (Shades of AUDITION!) Unfortunately, he needs a script, and he ‘borrows’ Toni’s, unbeknownst to her.
“Things get out of hand, and the New York film circles soon create a buzz about this unproduced film, PIPE DREAM. When Toni gets tangled up in the scheme, and a producer gives them $2 million to actually produce the film, they find themselves in a Cyrano situation where David will pretend to direct the film, getting all his directing queues from Toni. Naturally, things do not go smoothly.
“PIPE DREAM is a sweet, simple story, without too many surprises, but the lead performances by Donovan and Parker elevate it to truly enjoyable status. An added surprise was the too-infrequently seen Guinevere Turner (Chlotrudis winner for the AMERICAN PSYCHO screenplay adaptation) as a tough-as-nails agent. Also a surprise was the natural way the difficulties that arose in the plot were surmounted. Misunderstandings occurred, and then resolved the way most people resolve them… by talking it out, explaining reactions and feelings, and having those explanations believed. It was refreshing in a romantic comedy of errors to see this unfold.
“If you’re looking for an entertaining and smartly acted film about film, and especially if you’re a fan of either Donovan or Parker, you should rent this flick.” 3 1/2 cats