The Secret Lives of Dentists

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=80 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="04000500dvldtc.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Reel Movie Critic.com</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Reel Movie Critic.com"><U><B>home</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id1881.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Worksheet Movie 2003 3rd Quarter"><U>Worksheet Movie 2003 3rd Quarter</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1996.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Interview with Larry Charles"><U>Interview with Larry Charles</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id2013.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="new"><U>new</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1878.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="New"><U>New</U></A>   |   <B>The Secret Lives of Dentists</B>   |   <A HREF="id2009.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Adventures of Robin Hood"><U>The Adventures of Robin Hood</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1892.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Open Range"><U>Open Range</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id2011.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Pistol Opera"><U>Pistol Opera</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id1999.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Friday Night"><U>Friday Night</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="041d2c00dvldtc.png"> <div> <B>Home Page for</B></div> <div> <B>      </B><A HREF="http://newbookdiscounts.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://newbookdiscounts.com/"><U><B>Books</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>           </B><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelforless/id364.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelfor"><U><B>Travel</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>                </B><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/"><U><B>Movies</B></U></A></div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>                   </B><A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelforless/id361.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/travelfor"><U><B>Great Web Sites</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <B>Similar Genres</B></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/rmc/drama.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/rmc/drama"><U><B>Drama</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/rmc/book_to_movie.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.reelmoviecritic.com/rmc/book_"><U><B>Based on a book</B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=400 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> The Secret Lives of Dentists</div> <div>  <iframe marginwidth="0" marginheight="0" width="120" height="240" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?o=1&l=as1&f=ifr&t=reelmoviecriticc&p=8&asins=B0000X2EJ2&IS2=1&lt1=_blank"><MAP NAME="boxmap-p8"><AREA SHAPE="RECT" COORDS="14, 200, 103, 207" HREF="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm/privacy-policy.html?o=1" ><AREA COORDS="0,0,10000,10000" HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/redirect-home/reelmoviecriticc" ></MAP><img src="http://rcm-images.amazon.com/images/G/01/rcm/120x240.gif" width="120" height="240" border="0" usemap="#boxmap-p8" alt="Shop at Amazon.com"></iframe>  </div> <div> <IMG SRC="3ec42db0.png" border=0 width="322" height="475" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="1" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="657" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 1609 WIDTH="653"><div> <B>The Secret Lives of Dentists </B></div> <div> (R for sexuality, language)</div> <div> <B>3 Stars</B></div> <bR> <div> Reviewed by Cathy Edsey Collins</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>Campbell Scott: David Hurst                        Hope Davis: Dana Hurst</B></div> <div> <B>Denis Leary: Slater                                          Robin Tunney: Laura</B></div> <div> <B>Directed by Alan Rudolph                              Written by Craig Lucas</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <B>     Based on the novella "The Age of Grief" by Jane Smiley</B></div> <bR> <div> Like a root canal gone awry, the depiction of dentists in movies has been painfully centered on unfair stereotypes, perpetuated since the first tooth was extracted. From Olivier's gut-wrenching portrayal  in "Marathon Man" to the sadistic singing motorcycle doc in "Little Shop of Horrors," to the womanizing chair-adjuster in "Compromising Positions" to the judgment-impaired Dr. Sangster (like gangster) in "Novocaine," the dental profession has endured  more negative PR than used car salesmen.</div> <div>    </div> <div> Even classic cinema has maligned this noble profession. W.C. Fields took a whack in his short "The Dentist," Von Stroheim's silent "Greed" made the dentist look like a crazed maniac, and even the benign musical "Bells Are Ringing" depicts Bernie West's Dr. Kitchell as an absent-minded doctor who would rather compose tunes than operate the drill. </div> <div>    </div> <div> Alan Rudolph's "The Secret Lives of Dentists" is a refreshing departure from this persistent bashing. Based on Jane Smiley's "The Age of Grief," the film not-too-subtly compares the decay of one's teeth to the disintegration of a marriage with a realism that hits close to home. Drs. David and Dana Hurst share a dental practice as well as two young children, and it is quickly apparent that there is something akin to gum disease in their relationship. Never overt, but always quietly beneath the surface, it is obvious that there is an abscess ready to erupt. </div> <div>    </div> <div> He says "I love you," she doesn't respond. She seems vaguely unhappy at home, only becoming animated when practicing her choral part for an upcoming musical performance. When he happens upon her kissing a colleague at the community opera company, David oddly enough decides to do nothing. He is afraid of confrontation and chooses to sit idly by, continuing in his parental duties of carpooling and cooking, hoping the problem will go away-just like his patients who procrastinate about their check-ups.</div> <div>    </div> <div> His constantly placid expression-always in control-is an interesting contrast to Denis Leary's Slater, an obnoxious patient who becomes David's alter ego in this conflict. Full of snide remarks and unsolicited advice, Leary's imagined appearances are the only comedic relief in this serious tale.</div> <div>   </div> <div> And it is a nuanced, multi-layered look at a marriage on the rocks, complete with the stress of the entire family coming down with the flu-a sequence of scenes vividly realistic.  </div> <div> Never one-sided, "The Secret Lives of Dentists" puts its sympathies in both camps, creating an intriguing drama that doesn't belittle their profession or their humanity. Campbell and Davis are perfectly cast, both underplaying their roles and implying more in facial expression and mannerism than any long-winded soliloquy. Perhaps the film's only flaw lies in its too-pat conclusion, its solution never fully explained. </div> <bR> <div> Both parties seem almost anaesthetized, just ignoring this decay in their relationship, amidst their frenetic family life. Like an extra shot of novocaine.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Mini Filmography</B></div> <div> <B>Campbell Scott: "Roger "Dodger"   Hope Davis: "About Schmidt"</B></div> <div> <B>Denis Leary: " Ice Age"                        Robin Tunney: "The In-Laws"</B></div> <div> <B>Alan Rudolph: "Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle"</B></div> <div> <B>Craig Lucas: "Prelude to a Kiss"</B></div> <div> <B>Jane Smiley: "A Thousand Acres"</B></div> <div>                              </div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> Cathy Edsey Collins © 2003</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:info@reelmoviecritic.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:info@reelmoviecritic.com"><U><U>cathy@reelmoviecritic.com</U></U></A></div> <div>    </div> <div>     </div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>