MOVIE REVIEW

Secret Lives of Dentists, The  (2003)

Starring: Campbell Scott, Hope Davis, Denis Leary
Director: Alan Rudolph

Rating: R

Studio: Manhattan Pictures International

Release Date: 8.01.03

Review Posted: 8.21.03

Spoilers: Minor

By Christopher T. Bryan

"Secret Lives of Dentists" Speaks Volumes

The title may be misleading. The Secret Lives of Dentists is indeed about dentists and their lives, but there is no intrigue here, no True Lies style hush-hush lifestyle that is hidden behind the mild-mannered persona of a dentist. This is a much more subtle movie about the pressures of life that can build up and overtake every aspect of your existence making periodontal decay seem boring.

Dave Hurst (Campbell Scott) runs a dental office with his wife Dana (Hope Davis).  When Dave starts suspecting his wife of having an extramarital affair his imagination runs wild. The duties of home are stacking up, which along with the pressures of poking his fingers into stranger’s mouths, starts to drive Dave a little nuts, to the point of actually seeing a patient (Denis Leary) who follows him around his home lending his two-cents.

In many ways Lives of Dentists is a much more enthralling movie than if it had been about conspiracies and deception. It is a story that too many people can relate to. Both Dave and his wife are trapped in high paying jobs that they got involved in for the wrong reasons. Dave got into the dental profession because of his father, and Dana obviously should have pursued a career in the arts which is her true love. The two not only took on the wrong careers, they also had children for the wrong reasons. In this way they have fallen into the trap of the American dream. They have the “perfect” careers, “perfect” family, “perfect” house and cars, yet they are utterly unfulfilled in every way.

This may be why Dave’s mind runs rampant. It is his fierce imagination along with his overactive id in the persona of a patient that drive the film, as he puts his wife into hilarious situations the likes of which could only be conjured by a jealous husband. My favorite such scene involves a family trip to the grocery store where Dana suddenly stops the car in front of a home and announces that she will be back in twenty minutes. The family waves her off cheerily and the kids announce to Dave that they hate him. It is such thoughts sprinkled throughout Secret Lives of Dentists that drive Dave mad and have the audience rolling.

The acting is all around superb. Scott has perfected the art of underacting to achieve a more dramatic effect. His droll delivery of his lines is the perfect match for a weary dentist and fatigued family man. Hope Davis is sly and secretive as a frustrated wife who can’t seem to get through to her husband and to her chagrin. Leary is the true surprise here though. He steals most scenes he is in and is a fantastic personification of a slime ball patient who says exactly what he thinks. The three children took on their roles so effectively that I’m not sure if I ever want to have kids of my own. The cinematography is striking. Scenes showing Dave and Dana merely feet apart in separate offices staring off into the distance truly illustrate how two people who are literally so close can in reality be fathoms apart.

There were some moments that drug on and could have been cut out. As it is, this film is a neatly packaged treat with a fantastic soundtrack as the icing on the cake. The Secret Lives of Dentists uses its assets to take a deceptively simple plot and weave it into a driving story that will speak vociferously to the audience.

Rating: êêê   (out of 4)

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