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Pipe Dream (2002)

Pipe Dream (2002), directed by John C. Walsh, starring Mary-Louise Parker and Martin Donovan.

10/04/2002 BR Comedy and Romance 1h 31m

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Synopsis

A lonely plumber poses as a movie director to meet women, and the writer whose script he's stolen builds on his ruse to get her movie made.

  • Peter A. NelsonCinematography
  • John C. WalshDirector, Writer
  • Malcolm JamiesonEditing
  • Carole Curb NemoyProducer

About the film

Pipe Dream is a 2002 romantic comedy film, starring Mary-Louise Parker and Martin Donovan. The film was directed by John C. Walsh, who previously wrote and directed the film Ed's Next Move.

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Pipe Dream is a 2002 romantic comedy film, starring Mary-Louise Parker and Martin Donovan. The film was directed by John C. Walsh, who previously wrote and directed the film Ed's Next Move.

Plot summary

In New York City, David (Donovan), a plumber who is unsuccessful with women, creates a new identity as David Coppolberg, a film director, as a way to meet women. Due to his good looks and unfamiliarity with film, which passes for inscrutability, he is considered an indie talent. Complicating the situation is the script stolen from Toni (Parker), who in turn uses his success to further her own ambitions.

Cast

Martin Donovan as David Kulovic

Mary-Louise Parker as Toni Edelman

Rebecca Gayheart as Marliss Funt

Anthony Arkin as Cousin Mike

Marla Sucharetza as Lorna Hufflitz

Kevin Carroll as RJ Martling

Kevin Sussman as James

Natalie B. Pyper as Melanie Phillips

Guinevere Turner as Diane Beltrami

Peter Jacobson as Arnie Hufflitz

Jill Hennessy as Marina Peck

Reception

Entertainment Weekly film critic Owen Gleiberman called Pipe Dream "One of the funniest films I've seen this year...". The picture was also dubbed "neo screwball" by Karen Durbin of the New York Times. Durbin notes, "In bringing class tensions into play for his sparring lovers, Mr. Walsh...revives an aspect of classic screwball that has become almost taboo in Hollywood even as the sexual strictures that once fueled the genre have dissolved."

Pipe Dream was featured in Los Angeles Times film critic Kenneth Turan's 2004 book Never Coming To A Theater Near You. The book features a group of some less-widely seen films he felt deserved more attention. Of this film and John C. Walsh's previous film Ed's Next Move, Turan writes, "The two films share Walsh's unmistakable sensibility, a gentle and unforced way of examining the vagaries of human behaviour that is as sure-handed and insightful as it is understated."

References

External links

Pipe Dream at IMDb

Pipe Dream at Rotten Tomatoes

Text from Pipe Dream (film) on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipe_Dream_(film)

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  • New York City

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Questions about this film

What is Pipe Dream about?

Pipe Dream: A lonely plumber poses as a movie director to meet women, and the writer whose script he's stolen builds on his ruse to get her movie made.

Who directed Pipe Dream?

Pipe Dream was directed by John C. Walsh in 2002.

Who stars in Pipe Dream?

The cast of Pipe Dream includes Mary-Louise Parker, Martin Donovan, Rebecca Gayheart, Susan Misner and Jill Hennessy.

How long is Pipe Dream?

Pipe Dream runs for 91 minutes, or 1h31.

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Page updated on 09/12/2026.

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Scene from Pipe Dream