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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

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Reviews for The Secret Lives of Dentists

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81 - 100 (sorted by date)
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A smart, sensitive look at modern domestic life.

Full Review Source: Christian Science Monitor | comment Comment
07/31/03
David Sterritt
David Sterritt
Christian Science Monitor

The Secret Lives of Dentists may be a hard movie to like and a harder movie to love, but it knows itself so well that it's an impossible one to dismiss.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
07/31/03
John Anderson
John Anderson
Newsday
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A caustic, witty study of love and sex

Full Review Source: Filmcritic.com | comment Comment
07/31/03
Mark Athitakis
Mark Athitakis
Filmcritic.com

As misshapen as the movie sometimes seems, it ultimately evokes true, uncompromised emotions.

Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
07/31/03
Mark Caro
Mark Caro
Chicago Tribune
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Scott and Davis could not be better. You're in for something special.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
07/31/03
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

The Secret Lives of Dentists is a snappy, well-acted, and inventive comedy that hits the mark with its deft and telling portrait of a marriage under siege.

Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice | comment Comment
07/31/03
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
Spirituality and Practice

While it's Dave's madly humming brain that propels the film, Davis, whose every glance is a short story in itself, makes Dana's internal crisis equally resonant.

Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
07/30/03
Chuck Wilson
Chuck Wilson
L.A. Weekly

Seems vaguely interested in American domestic ennui, but ends up feeling -- wait for it (yawn) -- like pulling teeth.

Full Review Source: New Times | comment Comment
07/30/03
Gregory Weinkauf
Gregory Weinkauf
New Times

Don't let unpleasant personal dental associations stand in the way of seeing a luminous specimen of independent filmmaking.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
07/30/03
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Lisa Schwarzbaum
Entertainment Weekly
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Unlike the majority of movies in which a thousand digital extras are sacrificed upon the altar of commercial catharsis, The Secret Lives of Dentists gives the impression of acknowledging the existence of garden-variety human suffering.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
07/29/03
J. Hoberman
J. Hoberman
Village Voice
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Rarely does a film cause those visceral adrenaline rushes of recognizing greatness, but "The Secret Lives of Dentists" brings waves of them.

Full Review Source: Reeling Reviews | comment Comment
07/26/03
Laura Clifford
Laura Clifford
Reeling Reviews

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

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

In The Secret Lives of Dentists, Alan Rudolph treats everyday suburban anxieties with great empathy.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
07/17/03
Jeremiah Kipp
Jeremiah Kipp
Slant Magazine

Scott is excellent as he makes a complete U-turn from the motormouthed misogynist he played with such gusto in last year's Roger Dodger to inhabit the soul of decent, sensitive Dave.

Full Review Source: Reel.com | comment Comment
05/23/03
Pam Grady
Pam Grady
Reel.com

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

Rudolph matches angst with wit in a story that avoids the obvious.

Full Review Source: Boxoffice Magazine | comment Comment
04/27/03
Susan Green
Susan Green
Boxoffice Magazine

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

An exploration of family and fidelity hiding under a bizarre, surrealistic, sometimes impenetrable facade.

Full Review Source: Film Blather | comment Comment
04/10/03
Eugene Novikov
Eugene Novikov
Film Blather

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: rec.arts.movies.reviews | comment Comment
02/10/03
Mark R. Leeper
Mark R. Leeper
rec.arts.movies.reviews
 
 
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