Intelligently written and beautifully acted throughout, it’s a good, and rare, example of what we used to refer to as a movie for adults.
Comment
08/06/03
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The Secret Lives of Dentists (2003)
85
%
Tomatometer
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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.
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... [More]
Starring: Campbell Scott, Hope Davis, Denis Leary, Robin Tunney
Director: Alan Rudolph
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Reviews for The Secret Lives of Dentists
Even with its numerous fantasy sequences, the best part of the story is its firm foundation in reality.
08/04/03
[T]his is a superb examination of a suburban marriage on the brink of collapse.
08/04/03
Top CriticA powerful examination of contemporary family life.
08/02/03
The cinematography, production design and editing have the kind of honed elegance which bespeaks years of rich experience. This, matched with the wry and dry, humanly observant comic tone of the film, gives discerning moviegoers something real to bask in.
08/02/03
The Secret Lives of Dentists has emotional intelligence and a refreshingly caustic wit.
08/02/03
The film presents a realistic and artful treatment of a subject not often dealt with in cinema -- and rarely with honesty. Davis and Scott respond with heartfelt, edgy performances.
08/01/03
Top CriticAn interesting, and sometimes bitterly amusing film.
08/01/03
Top CriticLacking a solid narrative beyond the worsening marital crisis, this humor-flecked domestic drama ends up relying heavily on directorial tricks such as splashes of magic realism, giving it a self-satisfied air that quickly becomes grating.
08/01/03
Director Alan Rudolph does not shy away from the pain -- that hollow, gnawing feeling that comes when your safety net disappears -- but at the same time he treats the material as a comedy. How can he not with all this throwing up?
08/01/03
...displays the psychological acuity of a D.H. Lawrence story, in which we can almost feel the quickening of the protagonist's heart.
08/01/03
[An] intriguing dark comedy.
08/01/03
It's a compassionate view of marriage and its stressors. But the filmmaker and actors do their jobs only too well. Watching Secret Lives can be as uncomfortable as sitting in the dentist's chair.
08/01/03
Top CriticThe Secret Lives of Dentists tries hard to be a good film, but if it had relaxed a little, it might have been great.
08/01/03
Top CriticThe movie [diverts] into a domestic sub-trauma, and Rudolph is never able to bring it back.
07/31/03
Top CriticIt's the adult tone that Mr. Rudolph brings to the movie ... that makes this picture more than a pile of nuked clichés.
07/31/03
Top CriticRudolph, 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.
07/31/03
An excellent adaptation of a wonderful work of fiction that sheds light on the complexities and emotional truths of married life.
07/31/03
The points hung on this skeletal plot all seem obvious, the situation ordinary.
07/31/03
A stylish work from an accomplished, sophisticated filmmaker that bristles with intelligence and gleams with Scott's and Davis' multifaceted, astutely judged portrayals.
07/31/03
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