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Movies / On DVD / The Secret Lives of Dentists
The Secret Lives of Dentists

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The Secret Lives of Dentists (2003)

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Reviews Counted:93

Fresh:79

Rotten:14

Average Rating:7.2/10

Consensus: A witty and honest look at marriage in decay.

Rated: R [See Full Rating] for sexuality and language

Runtime: 1 hr 44 mins

Genre: Dramas

Theatrical Release:Aug 1, 2003 Limited

Box Office: $3,637,833

Synopsis: Hope Davis and Campbell Scott play married dentists in this insightful dramatic comedy from director Alan Rudolph (AFTERGLOW, DOROTHY PARKER AND THE VICIOUS CIRCLE). Based on the novel THE AGE OF... Hope Davis and Campbell Scott play married dentists in this insightful dramatic comedy from director Alan Rudolph (AFTERGLOW, DOROTHY PARKER AND THE VICIOUS CIRCLE). Based on the novel THE AGE OF GRIEF by Jane Smiley, the story begins with husband David's suspicion that his wife (and mother of their three adorable daughters) is having an affair. The details of their family life and David's mounting suspicion are brilliantly evoked via overlapping dialogue, great editing, and masterful camerawork. David's jealous mind soars onto some hilarious flights of fancy and eventually caustic comedian Denis Leary turns up as his cigar-smoking alter-ego, expressing all the independent and antisocial traits David has tried so long to repress for the sake of his family. All of this culminates in a hilarious yet harrowing week when the family is hit by a flu virus. SECRET LIVES' performances are very strong, with Scott proving himself an actor of great restraint and subtlety. The young actresses who play the daughters are uniformly talented, as is Robin Tunney (THE CRAFT) as a dental assistant. The lion's share of credit is due to director Rudolph, who is in top form with this film, displaying his mastery of the ensemble cast, camera, and audio tricks; Rudolph and his mentor, Robert Altman, are of the few directors capable of working with such perceptive, funny, and warmly human results. [More]

Starring: Campbell Scott, Hope Davis, Denis Leary, Robin Tunney

Starring: Campbell Scott, Hope Davis, Denis Leary, Robin Tunney, Gianna Beleno, Cassidy Hinkle, Lydia Jordan

Director: Alan Rudolph

Director: Alan Rudolph
Screenwriter: David Newman, Alan Rudolph
Producer: George Van Buskirk, Campbell Scott
Composer: Gary DiMichele
Studio: Manhattan Pictures International

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Release:

Jan 27, 2004

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for The Secret Lives of Dentists

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Rudolph, whose reputation rests on ensemble pieces, lets Scott's performance -- as skilled as his pyrotechnical turn in Roger Dodger (2002), but composed entirely of subtle notes -- anchor the film.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
07/31/03
TV Guide's Movie Guide

[An] intriguing dark comedy.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
08/01/03
E! Online
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Boston Phoenix | comment Comment
08/09/03
Boston Phoenix
N/R

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Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
08/30/03
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
N/R

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Orlando Weekly | comment Comment
09/11/03
Orlando Weekly
N/R

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Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
07/21/05
Houston Chronicle
N/R

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Full Review Source: BBC | comment Comment
08/03/05
BBC

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Empire Magazine | comment Comment
08/14/05
Empire Magazine
N/R

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Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
06/24/06
Time Out

more of an intellectual exercise than a melodrama, but one with its own chilly pleasures.

Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
07/23/03
Andrea Chase
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews

Mr. Rudolph's opus is already guaranteed a place on my year's 10-best list.

Full Review Source: New York Observer | comment Comment
08/15/03
Andrew Sarris
Andrew Sarris
New York Observer
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

That most extraordinary of achievements, the small, quiet movie that imperceptibly takes its viewers by their throats and doesn't let go until its emotionally explosive -- and equally small and quiet -- final moments.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
08/15/03
Ann Hornaday
Ann Hornaday
Washington Post

The points hung on this skeletal plot all seem obvious, the situation ordinary.

Full Review Source: culturevulture.net | comment Comment
07/31/03
Arthur Lazere
Arthur Lazere
culturevulture.net

A cross between 'Eyes Wide Shut' and 'A Beautiful Mind' -- but more compelling than either.

Full Review Source: ReelTalk Movie Reviews | comment Comment
07/18/03
Betty Jo Tucker
Betty Jo Tucker
ReelTalk Movie Reviews

A faultlessly constructed, artistic look at love, loss and truths we can't ignore.

Full Review Source: Arizona Republic | comment Comment
08/28/03
Bill Muller
Bill Muller
Arizona Republic
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A powerful examination of contemporary family life.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
08/02/03
Bob Strauss
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News

Scott and Davis turn in subdued but strong performances, and Leary gets plenty of laughs. Dramatic elements are handled austerely, lending the few emotional moments added weight

Full Review Source: eFilmCritic.com | comment Comment
04/24/03
Brian Mckay
Brian Mckay
eFilmCritic.com

For me (unlike some critics who have embraced this film), Leary becomes so persistent, so grating and so bloody irritating that I want to scream: Stop the madness! End the pain!

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
11/14/03
Bruce Kirkland
Bruce Kirkland
Jam! Movies

The movie [diverts] into a domestic sub-trauma, and Rudolph is never able to bring it back.

Full Review Source: San Jose Mercury News | comment Comment
07/31/03
Bruce Newman
Bruce Newman
San Jose Mercury News
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

It's funny, dark, different, hard to describe in a way that really does it justice - it's about life's real emotions and behaviors, along with a little fantasy, a touch of opera, and a couple of fillings.

Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment Comment
05/09/03
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
TheMovieChicks.com
 
 
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