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The Secret Lives of Dentists
User Score
6.6 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 10 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 10
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 10
  3. Negative: 3 out of 10

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  1. ChrisD.
    Sep 26, 2003
    3
    My dad, who's a dentist, and i were equally befuddled as to why this movie is so well received. we were the only persons in the theatre and for good reason. the film is a dog.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. ChadS.
    Sep 24, 2003
    9
    A film with pretensions for greatness like this one does, shouldn't evoke music video, even a good one like Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire". As David's conscience, Dennis Leary is fun, albeit redundant, since the audience can assess David's life from the con side for themselves. The marriage plot runs the risk of being overshadowed by a buddy movie. It doesn't. Even the heavy-handed metaphor of a runaway flu that strikes the entire Hurst clan can't undermine the pitch-perfect scenes of crazy children, and a crazy father who can't figure out what went wrong. "The Secret Lives of Dentists", in an extended scene, captures the excruciation of infidelity, better than any film in recent memory, maybe ever. There's too much good stuff here to call this film flawed.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. BillJ.
    Jan 31, 2004
    2
    Utterly boring! 60 minutes in and I had to look at the DVD box to see how much longer to this was over. I like the quote below which hits the nail on the head, no story, except that of the boring day-to-day travails of a two boring people adults living out their meaningless and inconsequential lives: The New Republic / Stanley Kauffmann: It has almost no story: its claim on our interest is in the texture of family life, which is what really fills the screen. … Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. BarryR.
    Aug 5, 2003
    8
    "The Secret Lives of Dentists" is an interesting and well acted movie. It stars Campbell Scott (George C's son who you may remember from "The Spanish Prisoner") and Hope Davis (who played Jack Nicholson's daughter in "About Schmidt"). Denis Leary, in an appealing role as Scott's alter ego or subconscious, does an excellent job in this offbeat part. Scott is a superb actor who can say and do more with his non-speaking lines than most do with them. Reminiscent of the Diane Lane character in "Unfaithful" where her face conveyed such intimate thoughts, Scott is able to communicate so well with so little dialogue. Hope Davis, a more mature and sexy lady than previoiusly seen, does a wonderful job as Dentist/Housewife/Mother in an extremely well-written script in a film ably directed by Alan Rudolph. I recommend this film as a study in the human condition and how denial can be as much of a force as confrontation. It is a movie that is both gripping and entertaining. It gets an 8.0 and my appreciation for an enjoyable 105 minutes in the theater. … Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. RyanPerez
    Feb 7, 2004
    8
    Alan Rudolph?s root canal into the lives of dentists is amazingly smart and perceptive about marriage. Not enough good things can be said about Campbell Scott?s demanding performance. He sweats out every conflicting emotion with believable anxiety. Hope Davis is as good as ever, playing a woman unsatisfied with domestic life. The film also gets special points for creating the most scarily accurate picture of what its like for the flu to circulate through a family. The most common complaint with "Secret Lives of Dentists" is that the Leary mirage detracts from the drama, but this is only true for the last stretch where the fever dreams become garishly intrusive and over the top. For the first half, the acerbic aberration is Leary?s funniest role since ?The Ref.?… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. armandos
    Jan 21, 2005
    9
    This is a very enjoyable movie-both funny and serious at the same time-it gets into the head of the protaganist in interesting ways-recommended.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
76 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 35 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 32 out of 35
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 35
  3. Negative: 0 out of 35
  1. Variety
    Reviewed by: Todd McCarthy
    70
    Director Alan Rudolph achieves fresh as well as humorous insights into family life and strategies for keeping a damaged relationship from expiring. But a tiresome final act proves trying.
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  2. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Chuck Wilson
    90
    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.
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  3. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    100
    Don't let unpleasant personal dental associations stand in the way of seeing a luminous specimen of independent filmmaking.
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