| Overall Grade: |
B+ |
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| Story: |
B |
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| Acting: |
A |
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| Direction: |
A- |
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| Visuals: |
B |
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This is a nifty little film...
by "Llama" (movies profile)
Aug 24, 2004
5
of
5 people found this review helpful
This is a nifty little film about the imaginary ramblings of a dentist, Campbell Scott, whose wife, Hope Davis, is also a dentist. They have three daughters, all of whom are closer to their father than their mother. He strongly suspects his wife of having an affair... it could also be considered a sexual fantasy of his, to some extent. But he doesn't want to confront her about the adultery because it would assuredly set into motion the machinery of separation, divorce and custody battles. Every time he thinks his wife is about to confess, he finds a way to avoid the subject or avoid her entirely by going for a drive or sleeping outside. It is a bizarre situation that he hopes will work itself out if he just ignores it long enough.
To complicate matters, one of his dental patients (Dennis Leary) gets mad at him for shoddy work on a filling of his. From the time that the man confronts him about it, he starts to imagine him following his every move and pestering him about everything he does. The imaginary patient acts as his alter-ego, the man he would like to be in some sense. The alter-ego speaks his mind and does what he wants. However, the dentist just tries to cope with the situation with as little confrontation as possible.
I won't detail the story's climax... but the film may surprise you with the direction it takes. 'The Secret Lives of Dentists' possesses a sharp wit and a biting sarcasm that rips into the mythical fabric of suburban wedded bliss. Scott, Davis and Leary are all fantastic in this movie that will have you smirking and cringing, sometimes simultaneously, for the entire running length.
I strongly recommend it, especially to those viewers who appreciated last year's sleeper hit, 'Adaptation'. Actually, it feels a lot like a Charlie Kaufman script. |
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