Review of The Secret Lives of Dentists (2002) by Rachel M — 12 Jul 2005

(OK, so that is a song lyric from [I]Little Shop of Horrors[/I] that has almost nothing to do with this movie except the dentist part. Whatever.).

I usually enjoy movies that don't have huge amounts of plot but instead just focus in on what is going on in people's lives, letting the viewer really get to know the characters and how they are in everyday life. Sometimes, if they're not done well, they can be slow or boring, and I have definitely seen movies like that. But fortunately, [I]The Secret Lives of Dentists[/I] is not one of these movies. Although very little "happens", it kept me fascinated throughout by the incredibly realistic depiction of family life and the two exceptional lead performances by Campbell Scott and Hope Davis.

Dave and Dana Hurst are husband and wife and are also both great dentists who share a practice. They have three young daughters, and their home life is unexciting but pleasant, until one day Dave sees an unknown man kissing his wife. He can't tell who the man is, or how intense the kiss is, but his suspicions are sparked. His relationship with his wife grows strained. He starts having visions of a troublesome patient (Denis Leary) giving him advice everywhere he goes.

This is all that really happens. The questions of whether Dana is having an affair and who with are resolved, in an absolutely perfect manner, at the end of the film, but that's not really the point of the movie. It is just a portrait of a normal family going through a rough period. The movie's depiction of a troubled marriage is possibly the best I've ever seen. Campbell Scott gives a quiet and subdued performance as Dave, a nice guy who doesn't want to confront his wife or even make assumptions about her actions but whose fantasies quickly get out of control. Hope Davis is equally brilliant as Dana, making her into a believable and sympathetic character even as we suspect that she is betraying her likable husband (I can't wait to see Davis in her two upcoming movies, [I]Proof[/I] and [I]The Weather Man[/I]). Crucial to the success of the movie is that the family seems normal, and it does. The little kids aren't overly cute and precocious like in many movies, nor are they obnoxious brats. They are just little kids doing what little kids do.

I agree with Roger Ebert, who says that he actually would have preferred the movie without the Denis Leary character appearing everywhere in Dave's mind. It seems too much like an excuse to explain Dave's thoughts to us (through the dialogue between him and imaginary Denis Leary). We don't need to hear his thoughts, Scott's acting is more than good enough to let us in on what he is thinking. It seems like the director didn't think enough was going on without that character, but since what I loved about the movie was its almost documentary-like look at marriage and family (the scenes where the whole family gets the flu are especially brilliant), this added an unwelcome layer of fantasy and, worse, thriller to the movie (when Leary urges Scott to kill his wife).

Oh, and this has nothing to do with the movie, but I love Blockbuster for their 3 for $25 sale. [I]Bad Education[/I], [I]Before Sunset[/I], and [I]Eternal Sunshine[/I] are mine!