The quirky and recessive charms of co-stars Martin Donovan and Mary-Louise Parker help overcome the problematic script of John C. Walsh's romantic comedy about a plumber who poses as a film director to meet women. More than a little reminiscent, in plot if not tone, of the recent Japanese horror film "Audition," "Pipe Dream" often taps into real modes of human behavior even as its plot becomes more and more outlandish. The film, opening today in several Manhattan theaters, should benefit from Parker's current media profile, heightened by her roles in "Red Dragon" and TV's "The West Wing."

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