The Secret Lives of Dentists (2002) User Reviews

As Good As The Type Can Be

[jobeblanc · 7/10 · 7 June 2004]

First of all, the casting was excellent. This was a difficult script to cast. The story and the characters are what they are. There are two dentists (husband & wife): dentistry like accounting has its stereotypes, but these characters as acted are "type."

The film is about marriage, and the preservation of family in the face of imperfection, disappointment, disillusionment, and reality. Family is good, but difficult. Marriage can be good, but is always challenging.

This story is as long and ponderous as the trials of life. The narration is great, with originality - especially for the brand of story. The subject matter is depicted with monstrous understanding. Only someone who hasn't struggled with glints of success through most of the parts of family and marriage, might not find understanding.

Comedy is rarely so genuine, and the humanity of this work is pervasive. 'Lives of Dentists' is not going to change society, but it may help a few marriages to re-evaluate, and a few families to re-connect.

The American Dream

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 30 January 2007]

The American Dream of the dentist David Hurst (Campbell Scott) is complete: he is married with his sweetheart from the dental school, the also dentist Dana (Hope Davis) that works with him and is an aspirant opera singer; he has three lovely daughters; he lives in a very comfortable house; and he has his own business. David is presently treating the troubled blunt musician Slater (Denis Leary), having a complicated relationship with his client. When David glances his wife in the backstage of the theater before a presentation of Nabucco, he sees a man caressing her and he imagines she is having an affair. The repressed David becomes mentally ill and uses Slater as his alter-ego to express his anger while fantasizing the relationship of his wife and fighting to keep his marriage.

"The Secret Life of the Dentists" is an original and refreshing movie about the common crisis of long-term marriage. The story is centered in the thoughts of the character of Campbell Scott, who is suspicious of his wife and imagines his world and the American Dream falling apart if his beloved unfaithful wife leaves him. The character of his wife is only passive, keeping the mystery of her behavior until the excellent and never corny conclusion. This film is recommended for mature audiences only, otherwise the viewer may not understand the feelings and behavior of the two lead characters. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Vida Secreta dos Dentistas" ("The Secret Life of the Dentists")

Excellent but limited audience

[szerbe · 7/10 · 13 March 2005]

I just saw this movie last night, and I thought it was absolutely compelling. A perfect example of that rare Hollywood movie that actually uses "show and tell", instead of car chases and hit you over the head non-reality. I ached with each facial expression of anger, fear and doubt. I can see how a lot of people would not like this movie. I think because it is slow, subtle, and full of nuances, it may be more to a woman's liking. Maybe the fact that I've been married for 25 years, I can relate to the realistic portrayals. The actors were stellar, especially Campbell Scott and the three little girls that played his children. I became very attached to this family, and wanted them to stay together no matter what, which I think was the point of the movie. Marriage is not just sweetness and light or happy endings, but the making of memories good and bad,the struggles and triumphs, and the commitment it takes to making family dynamics work for the benefit of all. Quite frankly, I just can't stop thinking about this movie, which for me, is the greatest compliment of all.

Indie gem - one of the year's best films

[george.schmidt · 11 August 2003]

THE SECRET LIFE OF DENTISTS (2003) ***1/2 Campbell Scott, Hope Davis, Denis Leary, Robin Tunney, Gianna Beleno, Cassidy Hinkle, Lydia Jordan. Filmmaker Alan Rudolph plumbs the depths of dark social comedy with this ingenious adaptation of Jane Smiley's novel 'The Age of Grief' with a skillful screenplay by playwright Craig Lucas about a reasonably happily married couple (Scott and Davis at career highs here showcasing his trademark cerebral comic capabilities and her patented chilly brittleness) whose dental practice together serves a razor-sharp metaphor for their suddenly troubled relationship when the seed of doubt is planted by the assumption of Scott that Davis is having an affair only to be manipulated by his over-active imagination imbued by an alter ego he sees in the form of a sarcastic patient (Leary doing some of his snappy disgruntled shtick to full effect) who allows his blacker sides to show. Family life has never been more keenly observed in this funny and surprisingly poignant look at how marriage can be a true test of faith in a complacent lifestyle of empty fulfillment. Has the feel of a latter day John Cheever parable of suburban hell. Point of interest, this film re-unites the protagonist trio from Scott's experimental film 'Final' a year ago.

Boooooooooring

[=G= · 6/10 · 28 January 2004]

"The Secret Lives of Dentists" is a subtly sardonic dark comedy which journeys through the marriage of a thirty-something husband and wife (Scott & Davis) who practice dentistry together at the office and raise three small daughters at home. During the seemingly endless examination of all the perfunctory routines of married life, the husband experiences a midlife crisis of sorts including hallucinations or imaginings while being visited by an alterego in the form of one of his patients (Leary). In spite of good performances and production value, this film is simply too little spread too thin over too much time. In a word....boring. (C+)

Almost good (**1/2)

[Ronin47 · 6/10 · 19 October 2003]

David and Dana Hurst (indie film vets Campbell Scott and Hope Davis) are married dentists who share an office. They have plenty of money, 3 daughters, and though they seem a tiny bit distant, they appear to be a happily married couple. That's until David happens to witness Dana being kissed by another man.

David, desperate to keep his marriage going smoothly as it always has, chooses not to mention what he saw. "Because if she says she loves [the other guy], steps will have to be taken", whereas if he says nothing, the situation may play out naturally in his favor.

However, keeping all his feelings in starts to drive David a little bit crazy, and he confesses all his deepest thoughts in imaginary conversations with a demanding patient named Slater (a charismatically grumpy Denis Leary) in inventive fantasy sequences.

This is probably making it sound very serious, but "The Secret Lives Of Dentists" is primarily a comedy, though a pretty dark one. There are lots of big laughs, mostly thanks to Leary and also Cassidy Hinkle as the youngest Hurst daughter, a shockingly good actress for being only 2 or 3 years old. Mixed in with the comedy is also some pretty intense domestic drama, very realistically done.

The movie is well-written, smart, perfectly acted by everyone involved, and has a great music score (by Gary DiMichele). But the pacing is unsteady and the movie drags at times, and though most of the fantasy sequences are nicely done, some are a little annoying.

It's a pretty good movie - just not one that is going to stay in my mind for long.

Thank you Gianna, Lydia, and Cassidy

[aimless-46 · 6/10 · 17 November 2005]

Despite all the work they have done during their careers, very few viewers will have even seen anything that Campbell Scott or Hope Davis has appeared in, or for that matter very little of what Alan Rudolph has directed. Which is probably a good thing because "The Secret Lives of Dentists" is supposed to reach out to viewers with a relatively typical marriage they can relate to, and the identification process is aided by using actors with little historical baggage to get in the way.

This is an ordinary story more suited to its original form, a novelette ("The Age of Grief") by Jane Smiley. As a film this type story is simply boring. Recognizing this reality, the screenwriter and the director tried using movie storytelling devices like flashbacks, visions, and slow motion. While these do make things more interesting, they also create confusion, as the younger "flashback" Dave (Scott) is sometimes hard to distinguish from his visions of Dana's lovers. Also it is often hard to distinguish (out of context) what is flashback, vision, and reality. Blame both the director and the postproduction people because the only visual difference is a slight blench processing of the regular film stock for the visions (giving them less color and more contrast) and the use of cross-processed reversal film stock for the flashbacks (giving them slightly brighter colors).

Compound this by recurrent appearances in the reality segments of Dave's alter ego Slater (Denis Leary), an angry patient who frequently has on-screen conversations with Dave, these jump start Dave's passive-aggressive personality. Other than Dave, only Stephanie (the middle daughter) ever actually see the fantasy Slater, and only in her flu fever delirium. She orders her dad's ghosts to leave ("it's my house") which causes her father to stop the Slater manifestations soon after.

The writers are big on using dental issues as metaphors for marriage and life. The main one of these involves Slater's wisdom teeth, which are coming in all wrong. He refuses to get them pulled, they are not so bad that they cannot continue to be ignored. Likewise the marriage could go on as long as Dave and Dana avoid confronting and dealing with the suspected affair.

While some viewers will really connect with this film, mainstream viewers will be either bored or irritated. Bored because this is a minimalist movie that was made that way to illustrate the idea that marriage is all about the details-unfortunately most of these details are boring. Irritating because the story requires that neither Dave nor Dana be particularly likable or admirable. Both performances are solid but Scott can't really show much of what Dave is really about even though the story is told from his point of view, he can be interpreted as both hero and coward, making a sympathetic audience connection generally impossible. Likewise Davis is not permitted to portray Dana as anything but the subject of yet another fruitless examination of the mysteries of female discontent. It is a nice role for Davis as see contrasts Dana's rapture with performing in the local opera (Verdi's "Nabucco") with the pervasive boredom of her real life.

The film's saviors are the three little actresses who play the couple's children. Credit the writer and director for capturing what is arguably the most realistic portrayal of children in any film. Children under age ten have little mastery of the acting craft, while these girls are no exception they obviously brought a professional dedication to their involvement and somehow each just got it. Rudolph knows how to direct them and how to stay within their limitations. I particularly enjoyed Leah, the youngest greeting her father with repeated "Hi Dad's" until he finally focused his attention on her.

A Boring and Unfulfilling Movie

[chron · 4/10 · 10 February 2005]

I tend to like character-driven films. I also think Hope Davis turns in consistently good work, so I had high hopes for this movie. Those hopes were soon dashed.

The main flaw with this movie is the direction. There are a lot of scenes that are daydream sequences. The movie makes frequent use of the Denis Leary character as the alter ego of the Campbell Scott character. It doesn't work for me at all. This would have worked better as a play than a movie.

There are problems with the plot as well. It is important that the characters in a movie take a journey and end up in a place different from where they started. I didn't feel that the characters grew in the experiences portrayed in the movie.

Finally, the editing wasn't well done, either. There was a very big sag in the middle of the movie that was exceptionally boring.

Except for acting, which I felt was consistently strong, this movie failed in almost every aspect of cinema.

Root canal, anyone?

[jotix100 · 10/10 · 29 August 2003]

Alan Rudolph has come out, again, a winner with this taut dramatic comedy. The screen play by Craig Lucas, and based on a Jane Smiley's book, is a story about what happens to a married couple that is overwhelmed with the daily wear and tear of their suburban boredom.

David Hurst discovers at the very beginning of the film that his wife might be having an extra marital affair. The only problem is, he never gets to know who this person is that his wife, Dana, is seeing on the sly. All appearances point out to the fact that his dentist wife, has found someone that satisfies her more than the good husband.

Now, is it real, or is Dave seeing things? It's very easy to think that yes, Dana is cheating on her husband, yet, we never get any conclusive evidence this is so.

The wife, evidently, in this marriage is overwhelmed by her own life. She has her own practice as a dentist; she is a full fledged mother with three little girls that are showing signs of collective neurosis at a very early age in life, and she is an member of the chorus of the local opera company, which consumes all the free time she has.

Therefore, Dana's relationship with Dave suffers as they don't communicate. We never see them confronting what's wrong with their marriage, or what's driving them apart. Dave never has the courage to question Dana about her odd behavior. He is a coward who would rather keep a status quo and would never question the wife he clearly adores. There is a hidden drama between these two that never comes out in the open at all. It is a miracle they have stayed together for as long as they have since by all apparent reasons, this marriage should have been over a long, long time ago.

Campbell Scott is an actor whose face registers all the emotions this David Hurst is feeling without much effort. His take on this dentist is so incredible that one feels he is the real dentist at all times. One wouldn't mind going to him for a root canal, or any dental problem, as you know he is a decent person, even when he treats the patient from hell, Dennis Leary, at the beginning of the film.

Hope Davis is perfection herself in her approach to Dana. She is the mother of the three troubled little girls, as well as the wife of Dave. She hasn't enough time to pursue all she wants in life. Maybe she married David for the wrong reasons; perhaps she should have left this situation a long time ago. Who knows what's on her mind? Ms Davis is a fine actress who always delivers. In the hands of Alan Rudolph she is at the top of her form.

The three little Hurst girls are fine as the daughters of Dave and Dana and Dennis Leary is excellent as Dave's conscience in a very subtle role that he makes it his own.

Pray and Learn: This could be me someday?

[JonWatches · 7/10 · 15 September 2006]

Compared to bigger-budget Hollywood films that are easy to give 7 stars, even 8 stars, since they are slick, nicely paced, and what we've come to expect, Secret Lives of Dentists is a little like listening to Willie Nelson...rough but artistic, done with great care but not sweet-voiced.

Not that the film leaks or loses the viewer. It is solid. Nonetheless the over-consistency of the pacing or the minimalism of the plotting move the film in such a way that we have a little too much time to think if entertainment is the goal. In fact, I am reminded of the Joseph Conrad story called The Secret Sharer, whose introversion and pacing are not-so-secretly shared with this film, although I understand that the addition of the secret sharer character to Jane Smiley's novella was for cinematographic reasons.

If the goal is to learn the mistakes not to make in marriage, or at least not to aggravate with the easily-made errors these characters commit, then the slowness becomes an opportunity for us to think about the everyone's-sick days when we wonder about those moments that have stretched into years of self-doubts that foolishly stop us from ever being the hero--the hero everyone who loves us would let us be if we believed.

Not married myself, I come away from this movie praying that I would avoid these mistakes, at least this depth of mistakes. I am convinced more than ever of the adage that anything you do "for a marriage" is lost if you don't live for it first, before anything else (which is explicit, ironically, in the dialog). Of course many marriages fail, and many more become traps, since really, in all of humanity, how many people are wanting marriage more than anything else? Like Rodger Dodger, this is a film I'd like every high school student to see (put cardboard over the sex scene...) because it drills out the bolts of Barbie/Hollywood dreams and looks at what's inside ten years down the road. Prepare for this, and we might be ready to say "I do." If we fail to prepare--ourselves or our relationships--then this could be me or you, or the high school girl dreaming about how great married life will be.

Flat and uninspired

[HouseofPainCakes · 4/10 · 2 September 2003]

It's common practice for a film about repression to be somewhat muted in style and tone. There's a difference, however, between using restraint and encouraging narcolepsy among audience members. In "The Secret Lives of Dentists," starring Campbell Scott and Hope Davis, director Alan Rudolph plays as close to the vest as possible, with the result being a film that never amounts to much beyond a rumination on how teeth are a metaphor for married life.

Scott gives a fine performance in the role of David Hurst, a dentist married to another dentist (Davis). Rudolph sets up the dynamic of their relationship quickly - he is completely absorbed in the day-to-day duties of being the parenthood, she is quietly disillusioned with their frantic family life - and then ratchets up the tension when Scott may or may not witness his wife with another man. From this point on, the film focuses on whether or not David is going to confront his wife Dana about her possible adultery, or whether she will beat him to the punch and leave for good. From time to time, David is treated to visits from an imaginary "friend" in the form of a former patient played by Denis Leary (borrowing heavily from Brad Pitt's Tyler Durden in "Fight Club").

While there is enough uncertainty about Dana's infidelity and David's instability to warrant examination, the last two thirds of the film are embarrassingly empty of theme or narrative. Instead, Rudolph creates drama out of a nasty fever that travels slowly through the Hurst family, culminating in a pointless hospital visit at the film's climax. The film never picks up on the hints at what David is really capable of if he wasn't so dedicated to his family; neither does it spend much time looking at Dana's precarious balancing act between her family life and her other, more fulfilling ambitions.

By choosing to spend the majority of the film worrying over a fever gone awry, Rudolph kills the momentum of his film. By the time the fifth member of the family shows up sweating and sickly, the film has used up all the good graces of Scott's well-measured performance. David and Dana end up retracing their steps over and over again until a less than cathartic finale. With nothing to build on over the last hour, the conclusion seems awkward and patched-on. "The Secret Lives of Dentists" takes a common theme and does nothing to improve upon it. Altogether, a disappointing, unimaginative film.

Go with no expectations.

[princesss_buttercup3 · 9/10 · 19 June 2008]

First of all, the front page review for this movie makes me wonder if the person actually watched the film. Or perhaps s/he got up to get some popcorn during an especially critical scene, but we definitely do find out whether or not David (Campbell Scott) is correct is in belief that Dana (Hope Davis) is having an affair.

Secondly, this was a good, honest character driven movie. I was shocked at the low overall score, and I wonder whether most moviegoers these days lack the patience or attention span required to sit through a film whose sole purpose is to take the audience on a tour through the characters' relationships and private hopes, fears, and desires. There is virtually no action (in the typical Hollywood sense), no flash, and no monumental act of god or nature that is meant to shock. Instead, this is a film that all of us should be able to relate to on the most simple, human levels. It examines those day to day pieces of life that we take for granted, but which quietly take their toll. Perhaps the most profound line in the film is when Davis' character tells her husband that she expected their marriage to "get wider...but instead it just got smaller." The film reminded me a lot of another character-driven film about misunderstandings, dysfunctional relationships, and the inability to communicate: "You Can Count on Me." Both films are deeply intelligent, and both require their audiences to be as open and honest in what they allow themselves to get from the film as the movie is in giving it. In a nutshell, you will get out of this film what you are willing to put in. That being said, it's not for everyone. If you like fast action, melodrama, and lots of flash and glitter, this film is not for you. In you like a contemplative, honest piece of art, check it out.

A shame about the alter ego bit

[wisewebwoman · 6/10 · 11 November 2004]

This film got to me. I found Campbell Scott's (son of the great George C and the even greater Colleen Dewhurst) performance highly nuanced and believable. Yes he was a bit of a bore, yes he was afraid to confront the wife, but how awfully realistic all of that is. The alter ego was a crock and totally contrived. The movie did not need such an unnecessary passenger and it completely spoiled it for me. It made me want to read the book, I'm sure it is much better. However, the kids were real, and the wife played by Hope Davis wonderful in her romantic yearnings. In movies like this it is all in the unsaid. The small touches. 6 out of 10 for all of that but thumbs so far down the pipe for that alter ego crud.

About as much fun as a root canal

[GaryWang · 1/10 · 27 October 2004]

Ugh! Where to begin ... first, Campbell Scott's non-stop angst becomes a real turn-off after awhile (a very short while) as he internalizes his mounting anguish, curiosity and anger. Only we don't care! These characters as presented by the writer and director are wholly unlikable, and therein lies the key. They haven't given us anything to make us care if they are adulterous and whether or not they are still in love with one another. When Scott quietly tells his wife, "I could kill you" before their three daughters at the dinner table, after the shock of his selfishly poor timing wore off I almost wished that he had--and then done the same thing to the smug, wisecracking apparition of Denis Leary before being hauled off the the looney bin. An utter waste of time and perhaps--only perhaps--resources.

If you like stomach viruses, this is the movie for you

[jbels · 8 August 2003]

This is the closest I have come to getting sick in a theatre since Monty Python's Meaning of Life. The graphic vomiting in this movie is so repulsive and ultimately meaningless that it just overtakes the entire movie. Plus Dennis Leary gets real annoying real fast. Skip this one, but if you see it, skip the popcorn.

Well made

[christopher-underwood · 6/10 · 18 February 2007]

Well made and as usual with Rudolph great care taken to ensure very genuine performances from his cast. For me Denis Leary just nicks it but then I prefer his sharp and direct approach to the more diffident lead couple. In fact if there is a criticism here I think it is that the couple do seem just a little too much like they are sleepwalking through their marriage and are waiting for a kick up the backside. That's the point though I suppose and direct confrontation would have upset the narrative. I also have to say that a film featuring vomiting children (even if they all perform exceptionally well) AND active scenes of dentistry makes for some hill to climb, if I'm not mixing too many metaphors. Well meant humane film making tackling subject matters others would shy away from.

I'd rather be a Fireman

[ferguson-6 · 6/10 · 6 September 2003]

Greetings again from the darkness. Alan Rudolph has directed some masterpieces ("Choose Me", "Welcome to L.A.", "Trouble in Mind"), but recently his offerings are mediocre at best. "Dentists" gives us a real life look at the struggles 2 dentists have in keeping their marriage and family from falling apart. It proves that educated people are no smarter than the rest of us when it comes to communicating within a relationship. Most of the time we feel as if we are eavesdropping on things that are probably happening in our own homes or those of our neighbors. It is kinda like being at a party when the hosts start arguing. Do you laugh it off or just excuse yourself? The scenes with the kids are realistic enough, but the whole husband and wife thing gets very tiresome, very quickly. Campbell Scott effectively captures the spirit of a man who thinks that by avoiding the topic, things will improve. Often this role is played by the woman. In this case, the spouse under suspicion is the wife played by the recently too high-profile Hope Davis. I have seen "About Schmidt", "American Splendor" and "The Secret Lives of Dentists" all within the past 6-8 months and let's just say Hope needs to take a vacation. She is so unlikeable on screen - very hard and cold - impossible to root for. Robin Tunney (as the dental assistant) intrigues me as an actress. She's got something and I look forward to seeing her work with some better material. Of course, the best thing in the movie is Denis Leary. He steals every scene he is in and his time at the opera and on the staircase is priceless. Based on Jane Smiley's story "The Age of Grief", this just did not transfer to film very well. Even the kids are obnoxious!

Ok word of mouth

[meeza · 7/10 · 25 August 2003]

`The Secret Lives of Dentists' is a symbolic intriguing film on the questions of infidelity. Campbell Scott & Hope Davis star as Dr. David and Dana Hurst. They are both intellectual artistic dentists who possess much wisdom, and I guess also pull much wisdom teeth. David observes an interaction between his wife and another man that causes suspicion of adultery, or in other words `his wife is getting a good drilling from another man'. I guess the truth hurts for Dr. Hurst. Denis Leary co-stars as the obnoxious patient who strangely enough becomes Dr. David's imaginary guiding force throughout his turbulent period. `The Secret Lives of Dentists' pulls to hard to create a cerebral fable on infidelity. Director Alan Rudolph does get to the `scope' of the story, but inserts an overabundance of dawdle scenes that represented the major floss I mean flaws of the film. Scott & Davis, 2 very underrated actors, executed insightful performances and once again demonstrated that they are deserving of more acting `plaques'. If you want to `rinse off' your troubles and view a joyous narrative, then I do not recommend `The Secret Lives of Dentists'. However, if you mostly desire to observe acting proficiency then don't keep it a secret: schedule your next appointment to `The Secret Lives of Dentists'. *** Average

Hey! -- it's an Alan Rudolph film!

[FilmSnobby · 4/10 · 18 March 2004]

Yeh, I know -- you're quivering with excitement. Well, *The Secret Lives of Dentists* will not upset your expectations: it's solidly made but essentially unimaginative, truthful but dull. It concerns the story of a married couple who happen to be dentists and who share the same practice (already a recipe for trouble: if it wasn't for our separate work-lives, we'd all ditch our spouses out of sheer irritation). Campbell Scott, whose mustache and demeanor don't recall Everyman so much as Ned Flanders from *The Simpsons*, is the mild-mannered, uber-Dad husband, and Hope Davis is the bored-stiff housewife who channels her frustrations into amateur opera. One night, as Dad & the daughters attend one of Davis' performances, he discovers that his wife is channeling her frustrations into more than just singing: he witnesses his wife kissing and flirting with the director of opera. (One nice touch: we never see the opera-director's face.) Dreading the prospect of instituting the proceedings for separation, divorce, and custody hearings -- profitable only to the lawyers -- Scott chooses to pretend ignorance of his wife's indiscretions.

Already, the literate among you are starting to yawn: ho-hum, another story about the Pathetic, Sniveling Little Cuckold. But Rudolph, who took the story from a Jane Smiley novella, hopes that the wellworn-ness of the material will be compensated for by a series of flashy, postmodern touches. For instance, one of Scott's belligerent patients (Denis Leary, kept relatively -- and blessedly -- in check) will later become a sort of construction of the dentist's imagination, emerging as a Devil-on-the-shoulder advocate for the old-fashioned masculine virtues ("Dump the b---h!", etc.). When not egged-on by his imaginary new buddy, Scott is otherwise tormented by fantasies that include his wife engaged in a three-way with two of the male dental-assistants who work in their practice. It's not going too far to say that this movie is *Eyes Wide Shut* for Real People (or Grown-Ups, at least). Along those lines, Campbell Scott and Hope Davis are certainly recognizable human beings as compared to the glamourpuss pair of Cruise and Kidman. Further, the script for *Secret Lives* is clearly more relevant than Kubrick's. As proof, I offer the depiction of the dentists' children, particularly the youngest one who is about 3 or 4 years old, and whose main utterance is "Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! Dad! DAD!!!" This is Family Life, all right, with all its charms.

The movie would make an interesting double-bill with *Kramer vs. Kramer*, as well. One can easily trace the Feminization of the American Male from 1979 to 2003. In this movie, Dad is the housewife as in *Kramer*, but he is in no way flustered by the domestic role, unlike Dustin Hoffman, who was too manly to make toast. Here, Scott gets all the plumb chores, such as wiping up the children's vomit, cooking, cleaning, taking the kids to whatever inane after-school activity is on the docket. And all without complaint. (And without directorial commentary. It's just taken for granted.)

The film has virtues, mostly having to do with verisimilitude. However, it's dragged down from greatness by its insistence on trendy distractions, which culminate in a long scene where a horrible five-day stomach flu makes the rounds in the household. We must endure pointless fantasy sequences, initiated by the imaginary ringleader Leary. Whose existence, by the way, is finally reminiscent of the Brad Pitt character in *Fight Club*. And this finally drives home the film's other big flaw: lack of originality. In this review, I realize it's been far too easy to reference many other films. Granted, this film is an improvement on most of them, but still. *The Secret Lives of Dentists* is worth seeing, but don't get too excited about it. (Not that you were all that excited, anyway. I guess.)

Secret Lives and Quiet Desperation

[Galina_movie_fan · 10/10 · 27 April 2005]

This film is a gem, quiet and powerful modern masterpiece that deals with the marriage in crisis. Shifting seamlessly from humor to drama, from reality to the imagination and back, the movie is a stylish, compelling and very intelligent work of a sophisticated and remarkable filmmaker. There are not many films that explore the quiet desperation of a family's crisis (or should I say any relationship's crisis) with such honesty, poignancy, and subtlety. Alan Rudolph masterfully explores the mysterious connection between two people, the ability to deal with its possible loss, and the secret longings in all of us.

Campbell Scott is very impressive as an introvert Dr. David Hurst. He does not say much in the film but we feel all emotions he goes through - love, fear to lose it, anger, desperation, depression, and confusion. Hope Davis, Dennis Leary and three young girls all gave great performances.

nice character study

[movieman_kev · 7/10 · 22 August 2005]

David Hurst (Campbell Scott) is a dentist disillusioned with his marriage after he begins to suspect his wife (Hope Davis) of infidelity. Denis Leary a patient that David can't get out of his mind, and he forms an imaginary version of him to give the audience a visual for his internal thoughts. I couldn't help, but think of Rob Reiner's "Story of Us" while watching this film, however due to the performances of all involved in this character study, this can't help but feel like the MUCH better movie of the two. It all felt very true to life, especially the downbeat ending. I hesitate to say that I enjoyed the film, but at the same time I can applaud its merits.

My Grade: B-

Fine example of a different filmmaker.

[standstraight80 · 10/10 · 28 May 2008]

2003 wasn't a particularly great year for film: although there were a few diamonds in the rough (see Kill Bill, The Station Agent, and Lost in Translation), for the most part, mainstream releases were nothing more than glorifications of the Hollywood blockbuster formula. So I suppose it comes as no surprise that Alan Rudolph's terrific film, The Secret Lives of Dentists, practically slipped by unnoticed -- not only by audiences, but by critics and award ceremonies as well. What a shame. While it isn't a spectacular film per se, The Secret Lives of Dentists is a fine example of a film-maker who tried something different and -- for the most part -- succeeded. David (Campbell Scott) and Dana Hurst (Hope Davis) are married dentists trying to form a functional family with their three daughters, and David eventually cracks under the pressure and develops an alter-ego (incarnated by Denis Leary -- not the person I would pick to be MY Tyler Durden, but whatever). The movie is very subtle -- even for an independent picture -- but it works: as the Hursts' marriage gradually crumbles under scrutiny, director Rudolph doesn't hammer us over the head with clichés. David begins to suspect that Dana is having an affair, but unlike other family dramas -- which would boil down the situation to the point where it's just a husband trying to catch his wife in the act --, Rudolph deals with the issue in relation to the rest of David's life, rather than just the present: David can't bring himself to uncover the truth about Dana for fear that it would destroy their relationship (or what's left of it), and so every action he takes is essentially a procrastination of confrontation. While not wise on David's behalf, this is a very smart move for Rudolph. He builds up immense tension throughout the film and only releases enough to keep us from dying of anxiety; by the time it's all over, we feel as if the Hursts' story is still unfinished. Screenwriter Craig Lucas (who adapted the script from a novel by Jane Smiley) has created two characters that have a life beyond the restraints of the film's running time, and he has done it masterfully. His script is marvelously low-key, making us laugh at the most unlikely moments and moving us in unexpected ways. Campbell Scott is equally slight in his performance, creating a passive-aggressive character we can't help but sympathize with, but Hope Davis (who received an Independent Spirit Award nod for the film) is the true standout: she brings her grace and complexity to a role that we might have otherwise seen as an enemy to the protagonist. Leary plays himself, so whether or not he's good is purely dependent on the viewer, but the least you could say is that he picked a decent movie for once. Add a wonderfully bizarre soundtrack (featuring a unique rendition of the Velvet Underground's "I Found a Reason" by Cat Power) and Rudolph's quirky direction, and you have an unexpected winner of a film. As I said before, The Secret Lives of Dentists isn't a great movie, but it's something perhaps even better: noteworthy. Either way, the next time I go to get my teeth cleaned, I won't be able to keep myself from wondering what my dentist does on the weekends.

Grade: A-

interesting

[cherold · 7/10 · 30 July 2005]

Funny thing about this movie. I saw it a few days ago and yet I've already forgotten what it was about. I just remember Dennis Leary was sharp and funny and that Scott's opening comments immediately made me think I was going to like this movie.

When it comes right down to it, it's not a memorable story. Guy is suspicious of his wife and has to deal with his kids. The movie is interesting for Leary's Greek chorus part, which lets gives you a vision of Scott's thought process and allows for some surreal elements. Remove Leary and you'd have a rather dull family drama. Since there's only one really interesting character in the film I can't consider it a great movie, but it kept me engaged throughout.

What a waste!

[skip-capecod · 1/10 · 29 August 2003]

This film represented a waste to the time and pocketbook of anyone, like myself, who was dumb enough to listen to one of the local critics and go to see it.

Unless you enjoy screaming kids, lots of vomit, irrational behavior, and a plot that seems like the author didn't quite understand, run, don't walk as far away from the theater showing it as possible.

Engrossing Look at a Suburban Marriage in Crisis

[noralee · 6 September 2003]

"The Secret Lives of Dentists" is a wonderful evocation of fatherhood and the power of paternal feelings, even while it's showing a marriage in crisis.

Campbell Scott is the antithesis of his ego-centric child-man in "Roger Dodger" to present a loving, if repressed, father and husband who is shook to the very core of his being by suspicions of his wife's infidelity.

Playwright Craig Lucas adapts Jane Smiley's novella (I read "Age of Grief" but only remember it as a brittle slice of realism about marriage and family) by using a similar technique as in "A Beautiful Mind" in having conversations with hyper Denis Leary to let us inside the panic in the husband's mind. Especially well shown, with beautiful editing, cinematography, and music, are his stream-of-consciousness memories of his meeting, courting, and living with his wife.

Hope Davis doesn't get to do much more than Meryl Streep did in "Kramer vs. Kramer," but she adds significantly to her actual lines with luminous acting, especially when we see how happy she is when she's away from her ball-and-chain, though we get very little other explanation for her behavior or choices.

This movie has absolutely the most vivid depiction of what it's like to be stuck at home with sick kids; the very young child actors are the most natural and delightful I've ever seen in the movies. The spreading fever becomes a wonderful metaphor for the state of the marriage and a way to release Dad's fantasy life even more, as well as a realistic family crisis.

Friends of my parents served as dental consultants; their names are spelled wrong, but those aren't the only misspellings in the credits.